WPS: New Chinese research ship spotted near Panatag Shoal

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine authorities have spotted a new Chinese research vessel operating near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a day after confirming the removal of a controversial floating platform that had drawn public attention in the key feature.

The vessel, identified as the Chinese research ship Tong Ji, was documented during a maritime domain awareness flight conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) over Panatag on Thursday.

The Chinese research vessel Tong Ji is monitored near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal during a maritime domain awareness flight conducted by the Philippine Coast Guard on Thursday. (Photo by Gabryelle Dumalag)

“What is worth noting is that there are now Chinese Coast Guard vessels once again back in Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag Shoal). There are also three Chinese maritime militia vessels and, most importantly, there’s another Chinese research vessel that we are now seeing,” PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela told reporters in Manila.

READ: PH says Chinese platform removed from Panatag Shoal

READ: Chinese BBNJ declaration won’t diminish PH rights over WPS –DFA

The PCG flight, which carried members of the media, departed around 7:50 a.m.

The aircraft was challenged over radio by Chinese military forces at around 8:42 a.m. while flying about 98 kilometers southeast of the shoal.

Journalists onboard heard radio challenges from the People’s Liberation Army Navy and People’s Liberation Army Air Force questioning the presence of the PCG aircraft.

Tarriela said the pilot responded that the flight was a routine maritime domain awareness mission conducted in accordance with international law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the 2016 arbitral ruling on the South China Sea.

Panatag Shoal has been under China’s effective control since a 2012 standoff.

READ: AFP says Chinese research activities in Panatag may have military use

It is about 357 kilometers off Palauig, Zambales, and roughly 926 kilometers from Hainan, China’s southernmost province. It lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, about 352 kilometers from the nearest Philippine coastline.

As the PCG aircraft approached the shoal, authorities documented the presence of Tong Ji about about 1.2 kilometer southeast of Bajo de Masinloc.

Open-source information cited by the PCG describes the vessel as China’s first intelligent ocean-class comprehensive scientific research vessel. Built for Tongji University in Shanghai, the 82-meter ship serves as a floating platform for marine biology, geology, chemistry and oceanographic studies.

Tarriela said Philippine authorities have yet to determine the vessel’s exact activities but questioned the legality of any marine scientific research conducted by China within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone without Manila’s consent.

“It appears that the new maritime assets that the Chinese are deploying in Bajo de Masinloc and in other parts of the Kalayaan Island Group are pretty much using the cover of marine scientific research,” he said.

“As far as the Philippine government is concerned, we have never allowed the Chinese government to deploy a Chinese research vessel to conduct marine scientific research within our own exclusive economic zone.”

READ: Tarriela challenges China: Release Panatag Shoal research mission data

The Coast Guard also monitored a research support vessel, Yue Xia Yu Zhi 20028, near the shoal.

Two China Coast Guard vessels, CCG 3301 and CCG 21563, were observed anchored side-by-side roughly one nautical mile north of Bajo de Masinloc. Tarriela said the ships were not present during the previous day’s patrol, suggesting they arrived sometime overnight.

The flight further documented three Chinese maritime militia vessels operating around the shoal and four small boats moving inside the lagoon.

Tarriela said the small boats first appeared around the time Chinese vessels began activities linked to the now-removed floating platform.

“I would like to believe that these boats, seemingly sampans(wooden boats) that we documented, are pretty much related with those illegal marine scientific research activities still,” he said.

Authorities also observed several previously documented structures remaining in place, including yellow and black buoys, a communications antenna installed on a submerged feature inside the lagoon, and a floating barrier positioned near an entrance to the shoal.

The latest sighting came a day after the PCG confirmed that the floating platform deployed near the shoal had been removed from the area.

Tarriela said Thursday marked the second consecutive day authorities had verified the platform’s absence.

He recalled that during a patrol flight on Tuesday, the Chinese vessel associated with the platform was observed dismantling the structure and loading it onto the ship’s stern.

A follow-up flight Wednesday confirmed both the platform and the vessel had left the area.

Asked whether China had been compelled to remove the structure, Tarriela said Philippine authorities were more concerned with its disappearance than Beijing’s motivations.

“Either they were forced or mission accomplished,” he said. “We are happy that this platform is no longer here.”

The Coast Guard spokesperson added that whether the research activities involved fisheries, oceanography, climate studies or military-related applications remained unclear.

“There are different ways that you can make use of the data that you gather,” Tarriela said.

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