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Chinese Survey Vessel Loiters Near Sabina Shoal, Raising Suspicions

Ke Xue San Hao near Sabina Shoal (PCG)

Published Aug 6, 2024 8:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

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A Chinese survey vessel is conducting unauthorized operations in the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), just 20 nautical miles off a contested reef. 

The survey ship Ke Xue San Hao has been operating about 20 nautical miles off Sabina Shoal for about 10 days, according to Philippine Navy spokesman Rear Adm. Roy Trinidad. "It has been doing a zigzag pattern close to Sabina and the southern part of Sabina Shoal," Trinidad said at a press conference Tuesday. Survey vessels typically operate on a linear back-and-forth trackline, "mowing the lawn" as they acquire seabed data. 

China did not ask for permission to conduct survey operations, he added. The Chinese government lays claim to a large swath of the western Philippine EEZ, along with the vast majority of the South China Sea, despite the 2016 arbitral ruling that found its claims invalid under UNCLOS.

The survey ship's presence has attracted extra attention because the Philippine Coast Guard previously found evidence of small-scale land reclamation at Sabina Shoal. The discovery raised alarm bells: ten years ago, China dredged and covered thousands of acres of coral reef in the Spratly Islands in order to construct a string of strategic military bases, and the Philippine government is watching closely for signs of further expansion. 

The Philippine cutter BRP Teresa Magbanua has been stationed at Sabina Shoal for months in order to closely monitor Chinese movements. Last month, the China Coast Guard dispatched the world's largest cutter, the cruiser-sized CCG 5901, to anchor at a position within 800 yards of the Magbanua. As of August 5, satellite imagery showed that the 5901 was still holding the same position, according to Ray Powell, director of maritime transparency think tank SeaLight. 

China regularly deploys survey vessels to operate without authorization in waters claimed by its neighbors, including Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam. In June, the government of Vietnam vigorously protested the operations of a new Chinese survey vessel in the Gulf of Tonkin, alleging that the ship was engaged in "illegal" activities in the Vietnamese exclusive economic zone.