Chinese ship in PH waters may be ‘collecting intelligence’ info – expert

Track of Chinese research vessel Song Hang inside the country’s archipelagic waters on April 1, 2025. SCREENGRAB FROM RAY POWELL

MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese research ship that passed inside the country’s archipelagic waters may be gathering intelligence information to know more about a “potential adversary,” a maritime expert told INQUIRER.net.

SeaLight director Ray Powell said on Tuesday night that research vessel Song Hang “has routinely taken inside 25 nautical miles of various islands, including Luzon.”

“That’s not itself unusual, but its indirect path through the Sulu Sea suggests to me that it may also be collecting intelligence as it moves through,” Powell pointed out.

He said the ship can gather electronic intelligence, such as signals from radars and radios, to “learn what equipment the Philippines has.”

“Although it is listed as a fisheries research ship, we generally assume that many of China’s research vessels are dual-use,” he explained.

Powell added that Beijing may be “just learning what they can learn about a potential adversary.”

According to the maritime expert, the ship can also map the seabed of the Sulu Sea.

“Normally, mapping the seabed involves moving back and forth in a ‘lawnmower’ pattern, but that would be too obvious a violation,” he noted.

“But it certainly seems possible that in each survey ship’s trip through the Philippine archipelago, they will take a slightly round-about path and map a little bit more,” he told INQUIRER.net.

Manila may not want to “overreact” to this intrusion, but Powell said it can carry out a countermove on Beijing’s possible surveillance.

“The Philippines probably won’t want to overreact, but should protest the failure to adhere to innocent passage rules in archipelagic waters,” Powell said.

“Probably, the most the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] would want to do would be to see if it can collect its own intelligence about the ship,” he suggested.

He also said the possible surveillance of this Chinese research ship may be similar to the activities of another Chinese survey ship along the Australian coast.

According to Powell’s data, the 85-meter vessel departed from Shanghai, China, on March 26.

In 2017, China Daily reported that Song Hang is Beijing’s “first oceangoing fishery survey ship.”

This is not the first time that Beijing’s ships have entered Manila’s archipelagic waters.

Lan Hai 101, one of China’s largest fisheries research ships, transited inside the country’s archipelagic waters in February this year.

It passed between the islands of Busuanga and Mindoro at one point.

READ: Chinese research ship passes between Busuanga and Mindoro – monitor