PCG repels 5 foreign vessels off Kota Island

MANILA, Philippines, October 13 ------ For the third time in almost two weeks, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has driven away five foreign boats in Kota Island near Kalayaan municipality in Palawan for illegal fishing.

According to the PCG, two Vietnamese vessels spotted near Kota Island at around 2:15 p.m. on Sunday ignored radio challenges, prompting the PCG to deploy two rubber boats to confront them. The Vietnamese ship near the shoreline withdrew its small boat. However, three other Vietnamese fishing vessels approached the island. “Upon the continued approach of the PCG team, all five vessels withdrew and moved away until they were outside the territorial sea of Kota Island,” PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said.

Tarriela said this marked the third PCG operation against foreign vessels around the island in a span of almost two weeks, citing two separate incidents involving a Chinese maritime militia vessel on Sept. 28 and Oct. 9. The PCG maintained that unauthorized fishing around Kota Island is a violation of the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act. “Under international law, the Philippines exercises full sovereignty over its territorial sea, where no foreign vessel may fish without authorization,” Tarriela added.

Also on Sunday, the PCG deployed aircraft and vessels to challenge a Chinese ship detected approximately 5.63 nautical miles from Hubo (Hardy) Reef and 116.72 nautical miles northwest of Rizal in Palawan. Tarriela said Tan Suo Yi Hao departed from Sanya, Hainan on Oct. 2 and entered Philippine waters on Oct. 9.

According to its automatic identification system, the research vessel was “engaged in diving operations with restricted maneuverability” and nearby vessels had been instructed to “keep two nautical miles clear.” Tan Suo Yi Hao also indicated its intent to remain in the area for at least another week, as it logged its estimated time of arrival on Oct. 17.

Tarriela said the research vessel from the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Sanya serves as a mothership for China’s deep-sea manned submersibles. Its deep-sea equipment includes winches, sounding systems and sediment collection devices for seabed investigation, he said. “It is the first among the Chinese research vessels recently monitored by the PCG to openly declare diving operations inside the Philippine EEZ, and the one operating farthest into the southern portion of the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

During air patrol, the PCG monitored four Chinese vessels near the research ship, including two China Coast Guard and two People’s Liberation Army Navy ships. The PCG said Tan Suo Yi Hao was slowly navigating eastward without a submersible, equipment or lines deployed yet at the time of the patrol. Tarriela said multiple radio challenges issued by the PCG was ignored by the Chinese research vessel.

No consent

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has confirmed that China’s research activities within Philippine waters have no approval from the Philippine government. “China is orchestrating the use of fishing vessels and marine scientific research vessels in multiple areas of our maritime domain to thinly spread our operational capabilities, strain our logistics and sustainment and pressure the Philippines toward acquiescence to a normalized, illegal and expansive claim,” PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said.

The PCG said it will continue monitoring the activities of the Chinese research vessel and will coordinate with the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) and the DFA for appropriate action.

Source: philstar.com