CHINA Coast Guard (CCG) 5901, considered the world’s largest coast guard vessel, has left Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, said SeaLight, a maritime transparency initiative that monitors activities in the South China Sea.
SeaLight said the 165-meter CCG 5901, which has been in the location since July 31, left on August 11 and was replaced by the 135-meter CCG 5303.
Retired United States Air Force Col. Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, said CCG 5901arrived in Escoda on July 3 but has been “dark” since July 31, which means its transceiver has been disabled and was not detectable by satellite automatic identification system receivers.
“Even so, overhead imagery showed that CCG 5901 remained at Sabina Shoal — facing off with the Philippines’ 97-meter BRP Teresa Magbanua — through early August,” Powell added, noting the Chinese ship earned its name “The Monster” because of its massive size.
“At 12,000 tons, it’s almost three times the size of the National Security Cutters of the United States Coast Guard. Its primary mission is to enforce China’s vast maritime claims through intimidation and coercion,” he said.
China increased its presence in Escoda Shoal in early May after it realized that BRP Teresa Magbanua intended to remain indefinitely to contest Chinese patrol vessels in the area.
BRP Teresa Magbanua, which has been maintaining its presence in the location for more than three months, was currently being surrounded by 6 Qiong Sansha Yu militia ships, as well as four to five smaller militia vessels known as Spratly Backbone Vessels.
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