But remains inside country’s EEZ—PCG
The China Coast Guard’s (CCG) mammoth patrol vessel, the CCG 5901, also called the “Monster,” withdrew from its position near Capones Island in Zambales province after being challenged by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) over the weekend.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG’s spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), said Saturday evening that the intruder had fallen back to around 85 nautical miles [157.4 kilometers] away from its position when it was first spotted.
The Monster was spotted some 54 nautical miles [around 100 kilometers] from Capones Island when the PCG monitored its presence using Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection (DVD) system.
Tarriela said that upon being detected by a state-of-the-art system for finding lurking ships, PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan promptly dispatched BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) along with a PCG helicopter and PCG Caravan to verify the incursion and assert their presence.
“By around 1700H this afternoon, MRRV 4409 and the PCG Caravan confirmed that the Chinese vessel was indeed in the area identified by the DVD,” he recounted.
“The PCG vessel and aircraft continuously challenged the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard, emphasizing that it was operating within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in accordance with the Philippine Maritime Zones Law and UNCLOS,” he added.
Tarriela said that the BRP Cabra continues to monitor the Chinese vessel’s movement, which was last monitored heading west.
“It did not execute any aggressive actions… or carry out dangerous maneuvers. When we approached [CCG 5901] it moved away. So I think the deployment of the PCG vessel and the PCG aircraft is an effective way to deter the China Coast Guard from moving closer to our coastline,” Tarriela said in a mixture of Filipino and English.
“The PCG remains committed to closely monitoring this Chinese Coast Guard vessel to ensure that Filipino fishermen can operate safely and without harassment within our Exclusive Economic Zone,” he assured.
Manila gained access to the DVD system after it signed a 5-year agreement with the Canadian government in October 2023.
The DVD System is a program used to combat illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing (IUUF) by vessels that deliberately turn off their Automatic Identification System.
It is operated by MDA Space, a Canadian space technology company that uses geospatial technology, including its RADARSAT-2 satellite and Maritime Insights platform
CCG 5901, a Zhaotou class patrol vessel, is currently the largest armed coast guard cutter in the world at 541 feet long.
The Monster’s discovery inside Philippine waters came after the recovery of a suspected Chinese submarine drone, marked “HY-119,” by fishermen off the coast of San Pascual, Masbate.
