China Coast Guard ship sighted near Manila Bay
A China Coast Guard (CCG) ship with bow No. 3301 was spotted “cruising” near Manila Bay on Thursday, US maritime expert Ray Powell said.
The CCG ship was spotted 95 nautical miles from the mouth of Manila Bay at 7:21 a.m., according to Powell, who is director of SeaLight, a program of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation that tracks Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). At 2:42 p.m., the 98-meter ship was seen “turning toward Scarborough Shoal.”
In a statement, Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the WPS, said the CCG ship was sighted also on Thursday at 62.08 nautical miles west of Capones Island in Zambales.
He added that it left Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on July 21 and headed toward the coastal town of El Nido in Palawan. Two days later, the CCG ship moved to the northeast of Recto Bank and stayed there for more than a day before it was spotted near Zambales.
According to Tarriela, another CCG vessel with bow No. 3105 “showed no significant movements” and has remained 64.5 nautical miles away from Tapiutan Island in El Nido, Palawan.
No movement
On Wednesday, PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan told reporters that China’s “monster ship,” a 165-m CCG vessel, has remained anchored at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the WPS, maintaining a close distance to BRP Teresa Magbanua.
The Chinese vessel has been in the area since July 3 while the PCG ship has been stationed there since April following the reported presence of Chinese maritime militias and reclamation activities in the area.
