MANILA, Philippines — A Chinese survey vessel has been operating inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone for 25 days, within the territorial sea of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela said Friday.
The 76-meter Haiyang Dizhi Shihao has been conducting what Tarriela described as marine scientific research without a permit from the Philippine government.
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“The DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) confirms no permit was ever issued for this Marine Scientific Research. It is illegal,” Tarriela said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Tarriela said the vessel had been operating in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone since Aug. 10, with about three weeks of its presence within the 22-kilometer (12-nautical-mile) territorial sea around Panatag Shoal.
He also alleged that the timing of the vessel’s operation was deliberate, saying it entered the area while the Philippines was being battered by typhoons and the southwest monsoon, or habagat.
“China moved its survey vessel in at precisely the moment our vessels were least able to intercept it,” Tarriela said.
The vessel is operated by the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey under China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, according to Tarriela.
He said the ship was capable of drilling into the seabed and was therefore not an ordinary research vessel.
In 2023, he said, it drilled a core measuring 302.07 meters below the seafloor.
Tarriela also linked the vessel to a previous Chinese survey operation in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone in the North Natuna Sea in 2021.
He said the vessel spent seven weeks surveying the area under China Coast Guard escort, broke off the operation to resupply, returned to the area and eventually withdrew days before an Asean summit.
Tarriela did not provide further details about the 2021 operation in his post.
He also said the Haiyang Dizhi Shihao had intermittently switched off its automatic identification system (AIS) which normally allows authorities and other vessels to identify and track ships.
But he said the vessel could still be monitored through Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection program, a satellite-based system that can help detect vessels even when their AIS signals are unavailable.
“Thanks to Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection program, we continue to track this illegal survey vessel whether she is transmitting or not,” Tarriela said.
Tarriela did not disclose the vessel’s exact coordinates or say whether the Coast Guard had directly challenged the ship over its reported activities.
The disclosure comes as Philippine authorities continue to monitor Chinese maritime activity around the shoal.
Panatag Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, lies about 220 kilometers west of Zambales and within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.
Beijing claims sovereignty over the disputed shoal and has maintained de facto control over it since a 2012 standoff with the Philippines.
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The presence of Chinese research vessels in the area has previously drawn protests from Manila. Philippine authorities have said marine scientific research in the country’s maritime zones is subject to Philippine jurisdiction under international law.
The Philippine government has also previously used Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection system to monitor vessels operating without AIS signals in the country’s maritime zones.
China has repeatedly rejected Philippine assertions of sovereign rights in areas it considers subject to its own claims.
No statement from the Chinese Embassy in Manila specifically responding to Tarriela’s latest allegations was immediately available./dp
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