China Coast Guard ship spotted near Zambales — PCG

MANILA, Philippines — A Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel has been spotted near Zambales on Thursday, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

The CCG's Shucha II-class vessel (CCGV 3301) was detected approximately 62.08 nautical miles west of Capones Island in Zambales, traveling at a speed of nine knots, Tarriela reported in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Earlier today, the Philippine Coast Guard, using Canada's Dark Vessel Detection technology, detected the Shucha II-class China Coast Guard Vessel 3301 traveling at a speed of nine knots approximately 62.08 nautical miles west of Capones Island, Zambales.

CCGV 3301 departed from… pic.twitter.com/wcNnLiFHgV

— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) July 25, 2024

The vessel traversed Philippine waters amid the expected moderate to rough seas along Luzon’s western seaboard due to the intensified southwest monsoon brought by Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi).

The CCG vessel departed from Bajo de Masinloc on July 21, 2024 and headed towards El Nido, Palawan, where it joined another CCG vessel, Zhaotim-class (CCGV 3105.)

According to Tarriela, CCGV 3105 has been experiencing irregular automatic identification system (AIS) signals since July 22. The vessel reportedly showed “no significant movements” and remained 64.5 nautical miles from Tapiutan, El Nido in Palawan

The ships were located significantly closer to the Philippine mainland. CCG ships typically patrol near Ayungin Shoal, a maritime feature claimed by China.

Ayungin Shoal lies within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as affirmed by the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling which invalidated China's nine-dash line claim.

On Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said that the Philippines reached an agreement with China concerning the resupply missions for the BRP Sierra Madre anchored in Ayungin Shoal to help further prevent escalations.