Chinese Bulker Hits Moored Fishing Boat off the Philippines
The Philippine Coast Guard has reported an allision involving a Chinese bulker and a moored fishing boat off the coast of Occidental Mindorodo. Five survivors were rescued by good samaritan fishing vessels.
According to the PCG, the fishing boat Ruel J was moored to a fish aggregating device off the northwestern tip of Occidental Mindoro on December 5. At about 1600, the bulker Tai Hang 8 struck the Ruel J, and the fishing boat's crew alleged that the ship continued on its voyage without stopping. Ruel J was left adrift.
Images courtesy PCG
Three other fishing vessels - the Joker, Precious Heart and Jaschene - rescued the five crewmembers and towed their damaged vessel back to shore at Sablayan. The PCG checked on the survivors' condition, interviewed them and provided them with basic supplies. Two local agencies also said that they would provide additional assistance.
The agency identified the Ruel J's crewmembers as Junrey Sardan, Ryan Jay Daus, Bryan Pangatungam, Cristian Arizala, and Joshua Barbas.
The PCG plans to report the incident to Tai Hang 8's flag state, China, and will ask for investigative assistance from port state control in the ship's next port of call. It has also reached out to the shipowner, a midsize firm based in China's Hebei province.
AIS data provided by Pole Star confirms that the bulker passed the western side of Occidental Mindoro on the afternoon of December 5, the reported timeframe of the accident. The vessel's AIS signal was last received later the same day.
Huge Chinese Flotilla Swarms Whitsun Reef
The Philippine Coast Guard has released video evidence of a vast swarm of Chinese vessels at Whitsun Reef, a low-lying feature in the Spratly Islands.
As a low-tide elevation, Whitsun Reef is not an island for legal purposes, but it is within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone and the Philippines would have governance over its development. Like Chinese-occupied Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef, which have both been covered in sand to create full-scale military bases, Whitsun Reef would be long enough to support a strategic runway if developed. It lies about 50 nm to the west of the nearest Chinese island airbase.
On November 13, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spotted no fewer than 111 Chinese maritime militia trawlers occupying the waters near Whitsun Reef, replicating a pattern last seen in 2021.
The number has now increased to 135 vessels, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Aerial footage of a line of anchored trawlers shows that all had spotless decks and topsides, without the wear and tear of a hard-working fishing vessel, and none had fishing gear or nets visible (below).
China's maritime militia force operates large, well-equipped trawlers used for "gray zone" operations, like harassing Philippine supply convoys and maintaining a mass presence at geopolitically sensitive locations. While nominally civilian in appearance, these trawlers typically receive military training and heavy government subsidies.
In response to this concerning development, Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año has asked the PCG to conduct a patrol to challenge the "illegal" presence of the Chinese force at the reef. The PCG has dispatched two patrol vessels, BRP Sindangan and BRP Cabra, to visit Whitsun Reef and investigate.
"It is justified and lawful for Chinese fishing boats to operate or shelter from wind in the area, and the Philippines is in no position to make irresponsible remarks," responded Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a press conference Monday.
China claims about 90 percent of the South China Sea as its own, and has ignored an unfavorable ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague issued in 2016. Beijing considers all of the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands to be its own "inherent territory," despite competing claims from Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Malaysia.
U.S. Navy sends warship past Second Thomas Shoal
The U.S. Navy regularly challenges extralegal maritime claims, including China's sweeping assertions of control in the South China Sea. In the latest of these actions, the littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords transited past Second Thomas Shoal, a frequent flash point for confrontation between Philippine and Chinese forces.
“The United States has deliberately disrupted the South China Sea, seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, severely undermined regional peace and stability, and seriously violated international law and basic norms governing international relations,” said PLA spokesman Col. Tian Junli on Monday. “China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands and adjacent waters.”
U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement Monday that the Gabrielle Giffords "was conducting routine operations in international waters in the South China Sea, consistent with international law."
New Chinese Naval Base in Cambodia Receives First PLA Navy Warships
The newly-built Chinese naval base at Ream, Cambodia, has welcomed its first PLA Navy warships, the Cambodian ministry of defense has confirmed.
Satellite imagery shows several ships alongside the brand new finger pier that Chinese contractors have installed at Ream, where the Cambodian military has leased the north half of an existing naval base to Chinese forces. It appears to be the first time that the pier has received ships (other than construction barges and dredgers related to the project). Imagery obtained by Planet Labs for Radio Free Asia shows two surface combatants alongside the pier. Open-source intelligence analysts have confirmed the find (below).
In a post on Facebook, Cambodian minister of defense Tea Seiha said that several Chinese PLA Navy warships have arrived at Ream in order to support training for the Cambodian Navy. He visited the base to greet them, accompanied by his predecessor (and father), the influential Cambodian politician Tea Banh.
Cambodian Ministry of Defense
The U.S. military has long warned of Chinese plans to build a base at Ream. In 2020, U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal that they had an early draft of an agreement between Cambodia and China on the future use of the site. The deal would allow Chinese forces to use the northern half of the site for a period of 30 years, with automatic renewal thereafter. Cambodia's constitution forbids permanent foreign military bases, but Western analysts view the quasi-hereditary Cambodian regime as a client of Beijing.
In 2022, contractors began building a large finger pier and a drydock at Ream. Both are far larger than needed for any vessel in the Cambodian Navy's small fleet. Tom Shugart, Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, told RFA that the new pier's dimensions would be long enough for a Chinese carrier. The pier was completed in November.
On the same day as the inaugural port call in Ream, Cambodian ruler Hun Manet - son of longtime prime minister Hun Sen - welcomed General He Weidong, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, the top Chinese defense command. Manet held a reception to "meet and discuss work" at the presidential palace in Phnom Penh.
Gen. He Weidong (left) joins Hun Manet in Phnom Penh, Dec. 3 (Courtesy Prime Minister of Cambodia)
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