West PH Sea: 2 largest PCG vessels deployed to shadow China monster ship

RETURN TO PHWATERS China Coast Guard vessel 5901, called “The Monster,” is seen in the waters off Zambales province in the West Philippines in this photo taken by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Jan. 11. —PHOTO COURTESY OF PCG
MANILA, Philippines — Two of the largest Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships were deployed to shadow China’s so-called “monster ship,” which was last spotted about 77 nautical miles west of Capones Island in Zambales province.
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) — one of the two PCG ships — “is back in the game” after it was repaired in Bataan due to overheating.
“We have two coast guard vessels pushing the CCG vessel 5901 to move further away from the coast of Zambales that is BRP Gabriela Silang, [MRRV]-8301, and BRP Teresa Magbanua, MRRV-9701,” Tarriela said in a press conference on Tuesday.
READ: PCG: BRP Teresa Magbanua returns to Bataan for ‘minor repairs’
Article continues after this advertisement“I’m not an engineer to explain why there was an overheating, but right now, the Philippine Coast Guard 9701 is back in the game. It was not a serious derangement, it was just a very minor one. It only took them less than six hours, to probably give some time for all the engines to rest, and then it eventually went back to the location of the China Coast Guard 5901,” he explained.
Article continues after this advertisementAside from shadowing the monster ship, National Task Force West Philippine Sea spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said aerial assets from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PCG were deployed to monitor its illegal presence.
Last week, the Philippine Coast Guard confirmed the presence of the monster ship — CCG vessel 5901 — about 54 nautical miles off the coast of Capones Island.
READ: China’s ‘Monster’ coast guard ship back in WPS
Beijing’s continued aggression was based on its assertion of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, as it continues to reject the 2016 arbitral ruling that effectively dismissed its claims and ruled in favor of Manila.
The landmark ruling stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013, a year after its tense standoff with Beijing over Panatag Shoal, whose lagoon the latter now effectively controls.
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