West PH Sea: Navy monitors over 60 Chinese vessels in February
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy on Tuesday said it monitored more than 60 Chinese vessels across key features in the West Philippine Sea in February.
From Feb. 1 to 28, the Navy tracked 62 Chinese vessels from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) and the China Coast Guard (CCG) operating near strategic features in the disputed waters, according to a statement.
The largest presence was recorded at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, where 23 ships were tracked, including 11 PLA-N vessels and 12 CCG vessels.
READ: PH Navy monitors 48 Chinese vessels across West PH Sea features
Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal, is about 220 kilometers from Luzon in the West Philippine Sea, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Much of the area remains under Beijing’s control following a 2012 standoff with the Philippine Navy.
At Ayungin Shoal, authorities monitored 17 vessels, including 15 from the CCG and two from the PLA-N. The low-tide elevation is located 194 km off Palawan.
Escoda Shoal had 13 ships, composed of seven CCG vessels and six PLA-N vessels. The feature lies 195 km west of Palawan.
Nine Chinese vessels were also observed near Pag-asa Island, including five from the PLA-N and four from the CCG. The island is about 528 km west of Palawan.
The Navy said the monitoring was part of broader maritime domain awareness operations covering the country’s waters.
READ: West Philippine Sea: Navy spots 20 Chinese vessels in early December
In February alone, it tracked 18,360 vessels nationwide, the majority of which were foreign ships.
More than 13,523 vessels responded to radio challenges issued by Philippine authorities, while 4,837 did not reply.
The Navy said heightened activity was observed not only in the West Philippine Sea but also in Northern Luzon, Western Mindanao and along the country’s eastern seaboard.
China continues to reject a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims in the West Philippine Sea.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines reiterated its commitment to protecting the country’s sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, a portion of the South China Sea within Manila’s exclusive economic zone. /dl
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