West PH Sea: New Chinese vessels head to Panatag after typhoon evacuation

MANILA, Philippines — Several Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels are now en route to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea to replace the ships that left due to the threat of Typhoon Enteng (international name: Yagi).

West Philippine Sea monitor Ray Powell reported this on Monday.

“Six new Qiong Sansha Yu maritime militia & one China Coast Guard (CCG) ship are now en route from Mischief Reef to Scarborough Shoal to replace the ships that left in advance of Tropical Storm Yagi (Enteng) last week,” Powell, program head of Stanford University’s Gordian knot Center for National Security Innovation, said over X (formerly Twitter).

READ: West Philippine Sea: Chinese militia ships flee Panatag as Enteng nears

Last Sept. 3, CMM vessels fled Panatag Shoal to Hainan Island in China as Enteng headed to the West Philippine Sea, according to Powell’s previous report.

The CMM vessels were evading the wrath of Typhoon Enteng, which has so far killed 20 people in the country. The storm tore off roofs, uprooted trees, toppled concrete electric posts and street signs, turned streets into rivers, and damaged hectares of crops in most parts of Luzon and the Visayas.

READ: Enteng toll hits 20; 26 remain missing

While the vessels were away, the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) BRP Gabriela Silang patrolled the general vicinity of Panatag Shoal

However, the patrolling PCG ship was shadowed by CCG ship with hull number 3302, while CCG 3305 guarded the shoal’s entrance.

China seized control of Panatag Shoal’s lagoon in 2012 after its coast guard’s standoff with Philippine vessels.

Since then, at least two CCG vessels have been deployed in Panatag Shoal, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea—including most of the western section of Manila’s exclusive economic zone—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 standoff with Beijing at Panatag Shoal.