AFP monitoring reported Chinese warship, unmanned vessel in Philippine EEZ

MANILA, August 1 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it was closely monitoring reports of a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) vessel and an unmanned surface vessel allegedly operating within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad (Reserve) said the military was coordinating with other maritime agencies to verify and track the reported presence of the foreign vessels. In a report by Reuters, California-based Seasats—a six-year-old producer of autonomous surface vessels—captured footage on June 16 of a Chinese Type 052D guided-missile destroyer using its Lightfish unmanned surface vessel.

The drone reportedly approached the Chinese warship about 105 kilometers northwest of Luzon. Reuters said it independently verified the authenticity of the footage, the vessel’s identity and the location based on Seasats’ data and the original file metadata. According to Seasats, its unmanned surface vessels have had multiple encounters with Chinese naval vessels, including Type 052 and Type 055 destroyers and Type 056 corvettes. “We have monitored and are monitoring any presence of foreign ships in our EEZ,” Trinidad told defense reporters in a text message, adding that he would check the whereabouts of the particular Chinese vessel from the reported dates up to the present.

The official said there was no indication of any immediate threat to public safety or national security. He also urged the public to remain calm, avoid speculation, and rely only on verified information from official government sources. “The AFP will continue to monitor developments and perform its mandate of safeguarding the country's maritime interests,” Trinidad said.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com