West Philippine Sea: China ‘monster ship’ now near El Nido, Palawan

Track of China Coast Guard’s 5901 in the West Philippine Sea. The ship was last spotted near El Nido Palawan, according to SeaLight director Ray Powell.

MANILA, Philippines — China Coast Guard’s (CCG) biggest vessel dubbed as the “monster ship” is now near El Nido, Palawan, according to a West Philippine Sea monitor.

As of 12:19 p.m. on Tuesday, the 12,000-ton CCG ship with bow number 5901 is spotted only 40 nautical miles away from El Nido town, according to SeaLight director Ray Powell.

The “monster ship” is still outside the coastal town’s 12-nautical mile territorial sea, a red line that, once crossed by Beijing, could be seen as a direct threat to Manila’s sovereignty.

Prior to this, the CCG giant ship passed by several maritime features of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) and even near a Malaysian maritime feature, according to Powell, who said this action is part of China’s “intrusive patrol.”

READ: West Philippine Sea monitor spots China ‘monster ship’ near Ayungin

Security expert Chester Cabalza told INQUIRER.net that CCG’s 5901 might be conducting reconnaissance not only in the West Philippine Sea but the entire South China Sea “to banner its strong presence in the contested waters.”

Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson, confirmed on Tuesday the presence of Beijing coast guard’s biggest ship inside Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

Padilla, in a statement, said the CCG’s presence “is part of a broader pattern of intrusive patrols aimed at asserting unlawful claims” in the West Philippine Sea.

Before approaching off El Nido, Powell said the CCG ship was spotted near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on Monday morning and Escoda (Sabina) Shoal on Monday afternoon.

READ: Huge China coast guard ship powers its way to intrude near Scarborough

Sabina Shoal serves as the rendezvous point for Filipino vessels carrying out resupply missions to naval troops stationed on BRP Sierra Madre, which has become one of the flashpoints of tension between Manila and Beijing.

At one point, the giant Chinese vessel also traversed near KIG features Pag-asa, Patag,  and Lawak islands, according to Powell.

The biggest CCG ship was also spotted off Malaysia’s Luconia Shoal, he further noted.

As for its next stop, the “monster ship” may pass by near Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal as it heads northward, according to him.

“If I had to guess I’d say probably,” Powell told INQUIRER.net when asked if the ship might pass by Panatag Shoal. “That would make sense, but of course we can’t be sure.”

Last month, the same CCG ship was monitored about 50 nautical miles away from Panatag Shoal.

Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by the arbitral award issued in July 2016.

The landmark ruling stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013, or a year after its tense standoff with Beijing over Panatag Shoal, whose lagoon the latter now has an effective control of.