China ‘monster’ ship drops anchor in West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — China’s largest coast guard ship dropped anchor in the vicinity of Escoda (Sabina) Shoal several hundred yards from a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel which sent out a radio challenge but was ignored, PCG Commodore and spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday.

“It’s an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard,” Tarriela said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City. “We’re not going to pull out and we’re not going to be intimidated.”

The 165-meter “monster” ship of the China coast guard, with bow number 5901, entered the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone on July 2, ignoring PCG’s radio query about its intentions.

The Chinese ship cruised near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Panganiban (Mischief) Reef before dropping anchor near Escoda Shoal. Panganiban Reef – now reclaimed and functioning as a military base – has been under Chinese control since 1995.

China’s embassy in Manila and the Chinese foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China’s coast guard has no publicly available contact information.

The Chinese ship, which also deployed a small boat, was anchored 800 yards from the PCG’s BRP Teresa Magbanua which was guarding the shoal.

“The distance between the two vessels is less than 800 yards, with the Chinese ship positioned on the starboard beam of the PCG vessel,” Tarriela wrote on X on Friday. Starboard refers to the right side of a ship.

The PCG official also shared a video recording of a female radio operator on Teresa Magbanua issuing radio challenge to the CCG ship. China did not respond to the radio challenge, he said.

He also showed photos of the Monster Ship taken from Teresa Magbanua, a 97-meter multi-role response vessels (MRRV) from Japan.

In May, the PCG deployed the Teresa Magbanua to Escoda Shoal shoal to deter small-scale reclamation by China, which denied the claim. China has carried out extensive land reclamation on some islands in the South China Sea, building air force and other military facilities, causing concern in Washington and around the region.

Earlier, marine science researchers from the University of the Philippines discovered dead corals dumped on Escoda