Chinese ships block Philippine fisheries bureau boat near Sandy Cay in West Philippine Sea

August 7 ------ A FISHERIES bureau boat was forced to turn back after three Chinese maritime militia ships blocked its way near Sandy Cay in the West Philippine Sea, a maritime security expert reported.

Retired US Air Force colonel Ray Powell, director of the SeaLight project at Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, said the BRP Datu Romapenet left Pag-asa (Thitu) Island at around 7:45 a.m. and headed toward Sandy Cay — a cluster of sandbars west of the island that is claimed by both the Philippines and China. By around 9 a.m., the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel reversed course and returned to Pag-asa Island after being impeded by at least three Chinese vessels, Powell said.

Satellite-based Automatic Identification System (AIS) data confirmed the Romapenet’s location at 11.0567 degrees North and 114.2467 degrees East, with a west-northwest heading of 288 degrees and speed of 7.4 kilometers per hour as of 9 a.m. The AIS data also showed the vessel operating near several Chinese-flagged ships, including Qiong Sanshayu 106I and 122, believed to be part of China’s state-backed maritime militia, and China Coast Guard vessel 3302, all near Sandy Cay.

The BRP Datu Romapenet, a Philippine-flagged vessel under BFAR, is primarily tasked with fisheries monitoring but has also been deployed for maritime presence missions in the West Philippine Sea. As of this writing, neither the Philippine government nor Chinese authorities have issued official statements regarding the incident. It remains unclear whether a diplomatic protest or formal communication will be lodged.

Pag-asa Island lies within the Kalayaan Island Group and is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). China also claims the area and has maintained a regular presence around nearby features, including Sandy Cay. Earlier, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported monitoring 46 Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea — slightly fewer than the 49 recorded in June. The AFP attributed the dip to “maintenance and repair schedules” of the Chinese fleet. Of the 46 Chinese ships, 22 were identified as People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) warships, an increase from 19 the previous month, while the number of China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels dropped from 30 to 24.

Source: manilatimes.net