China’s ‘monster ship’ now off Paracel Islands

The track of China Coast Guard’s monster ship since Dec. 30, 2024. (PHOTO FROM THE PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD)

MANILA, Philippines — China Coast Guard’s (CCG) “monster ship” is now near the Beijing-occupied Paracel Islands as of Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

As of 5 p.m., CCG ship with bow number 5901 spotted 60.6 nautical miles away from Paracel Islands, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea.

“Since its departure from Hainan [Island] 46 days ago, this Chinese Coast Guard vessel has been utilized by the PRC  (People’s Republic of China) to conduct illegal patrols and unlawful activities within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone,” Tarriela said in a statement.

Spotted in the western section of the Philippine exclusive economic zone since December 2024, the “monster ship” is believed to be the largest armed coast guard cutter in the world. CCG 5901 is 165 meters long and 22 meters wide — about one and a half of an average football field — and it weighs 12,000 tons.

Earlier Tarriela said the “monster ship” headed south toward the Recto Bank after staying within the vicinity of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal for several weeks.

But “notably, this morning, after heading south towards Recto Bank, it made a sharp turn to proceed to Paracel,” Tarriela also pointed out.

This was unlike its past track in previous years, when the “monster ship” traversed the EEZs of Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and before heading to Paracel Islands.

Last year, the “monster ship’s” track even mimicked China’s so-called “ten dash line.”

READ: China patrols show 10-dash line push in West Philippine Sea, SCS

China doubled down on its sweeping claim in the South China Sea after adding a 10th dash covering the eastern section of Taiwan in 2023.

The then-nine-dash line, which encroaches upon the EEZs of Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, has already been effectively invalidated by a 2016 international tribunal ruling.

It was the Philippines that challenged China’s sweeping claim in 2013, or a year after a tense standoff with China over the Panatag Shoal, which China now has effective control of.