Chinese ships seen leaving Panatag to ‘escape’ Typhoon Tino

Image courtesy of SeaLight.

MANILA, Philippines — Chinese ships appear to have fled the vicinity of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Wednesday to “escape the worst” of Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi), a West Philippine Sea monitor told the Inquirer.

SeaLight director Ray Powell said that of the four China Coast Guard (CCG) ships, two have moved about 40-45 nautical miles away from the Luzon coast, while two other CCG ships went “dark.”

“They appear to be positioning to escape the worst of the weather,” Powell, program head of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, said.

On the other hand, several militia ships were spotted near the Spratly Islands, according to Powell.

On Tuesday, Powell said the four CCG ships remained at Panatag Shoal “to ride out” Tino.

READ: Militia-ships-leave-scarboroughs-vicinity-due-to-paolo-monitor/

Since its effective takeover in 2012, China has enforced what experts call “exclusion zone enforcement” around Panatag Shoal, which the Philippines considers in violation of the landmark international ruling that declared the area a traditional fishing ground for the Philippines, China, and Vietnam.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, but the landmark 2016 arbitral award voided its sweeping claims in favor of Manila’s sovereign rights to fish and explore resources within its exclusive economic zone.

However, every time there are storms, CCG ships are often seen leaving the Panatag’s vicinity.

Last month, militia ships and a smaller CCG vessel fled Panatag’s vicinity due to Severe Tropical Storm Paolo.

“This has been the usual pattern as these storms pass,” Powell told the Inquirer last month.

The center of Tino is now 190 kilometers west of Coron, Palawan, packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (kph) with gustiness of up to 180 kph, according to Pagasa’s 11 a.m. report.

It is further forecast to go around the vicinity of Pagasa Island.

There are now 66 reported deaths due to the onslaught of Typhoon Tino, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. /mr