PCG: No letup in monitoring of Chinese vessels near Zambales coast
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MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has pulled out BRP Gabriela Silang (8301) from monitoring a Chinese ship near the Zambales coast, replacing it with a 44-meter multi-role and response vessel.
In a report on Tuesday night, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said BRP Suluan (MRRV-4406) will continue monitoring Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 3304, which has been operating illegally about 60 to 70 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales.
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However, Tarriela reported that another Chinese vessel with the bow number 3103 also replaced CCG 3304.
“Although this new vessel is smaller than its predecessor, it measures 77.7 meters in length and 10.4 meters in width, making it still larger than the 44-meter BRP Suluan,” he said.
“Despite challenging sea conditions with wave heights of 2-3 meters, BRP Suluan has maintained close monitoring of CCG-3103, effectively preventing the larger vessel from approaching the Zambales coastline,” he added.
The PCG vessel also radio-challenged CCG-3103, reiterating that its illegal presence violates the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
Meanwhile, China’s monster ship is now 113 nautical miles away from Zambales but remains within the country’s exclusive economic zone. It was last spotted about 19 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) as of 9 p.m.
On the other hand, CCG 3304 is about 105 nautical miles from Zambales, approaching Bajo de Masinloc at a distance of 28 nautical miles.
