THE world’s largest coast guard vessel, China Coast Guard’s (CCG) “The Monster,” intruded into Philippine waters on Saturday, Jan. 4, sailing to just 50 nautical miles from Luzon, based on monitoring conducted by SeaLight, a maritime transparency project that monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea.
“Today, ‘The Monster,’ CCG 5901, has brought its intrusive patrol even further east from Scarborough Shoal,” said retired US Air Force Col. Ray Powell, director of SeaLight. “It is now asserting China’s claim of jurisdiction just 50 nautical miles from Luzon.”
Arriving at Scarborough Shoal on New Year’s Day, the 12,000-ton vessel is a behemoth of China’s maritime force. Five times larger than the Philippine Coast Guard’s two largest ships — BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Gabriela Silang — it is equipped with heavy machine guns and a helicopter platform.
The Monster was accompanied by three other CCG vessels — 3106, 3302 and 3305 — and seven militia ships.
Scarborough Shoal, known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc, is a traditional fishing ground for Filipino fishermen. However, access to the area has been increasingly restricted by Chinese vessels, which maintain de facto control. Situated 125 nautical miles from Luzon, the shoal falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as per international law.
“The mission is aimed at boosting Beijing’s control over the maritime area,” Powell said, highlighting the strategic significance of the intrusion. He added that the latest incursion is part of a broader strategy of normalizing Chinese presence in disputed waters.
This is not the first time The Monster has intruded into Philippine waters.
In June 2024, CCG 5901 was monitored sailing just 40 nautical miles from El Nido in Palawan.
Before being sighted near Palawan, The Monster visited other West Philippine Sea areas, including Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, Patag (Flat) Island and Lawak (Nanshan) Island.
The CCG ship also sailed past Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, where BRP Teresa Magbanua has been stationed since April.
A month earlier, the Chinese vessel also conducted a brief “intrusive patrol” west of Scarborough Shoal and was accompanied by the 102-meter CCG 5203 for more than 24 hours or from May 23 to 24, 2024.
At that time, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) described the sailing pattern of the CCG vessel as “intrusive patrols aimed at asserting unlawful claims over areas within the Philippines’ EEZ.”
The AFP emphasized that such actions by the CCG are “illegal, coercive, and contrary to the spirit of maintaining peace and stability in the region.”
It emphasized that China’s actions violate the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
Before it was sighted in Bajo de Masinloc early last year, CCG 5901, previously carrying hull number 3901, was also monitored conducting an intrusive patrol tour near Vanguard Bank, a submerged formation that lies within Vietnam’s EEZ in the South China Sea, from May 22 to 23.
Before that, it patrolled Vietnam’s EEZ for almost a month at the end of 2023.
CCG 5402 also conducted intrusive patrols into Indonesia and Malaysia’s EEZs.
Analysts from SeaLight and other observers note that these actions form part of a deliberate strategy.
“China employs a strategy of incremental encroachment to strengthen its territorial claims,” said Gaute Friis, a SeaLight analyst. “Persistent presence intimidates neighboring states and seeks to normalize Beijing’s jurisdiction over areas clearly granted to other nations under international law.”
Philippine authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the latest intrusion.
On the other hand, China, a signatory to Unclos since 1996, justifies its actions by citing “historic rights” over the South China Sea, a claim dismissed by an international tribunal in 2016.
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