The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) challenged and drove away a China Coast Guard vessel on May 19 after it was detected drifting inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone off the coast of Zambales. The incident, captured on video, underscores the intensifying maritime friction in the West Philippine Sea as Chinese vessels continue to enter Philippine waters without any legal justification for their presence.
A Direct Challenge Signals a Firm Security Posture
The PCG identified the Chinese vessel as CCG‑4305 after it appeared 50 nautical miles west of Pandaquit, Zambales. The vessel was spotted through Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection Program, which uses advanced satellite technology and commercial data sources to identify ships that deliberately switch off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders to evade monitoring.
Once spotted, the PCG immediately deployed both aerial and surface assets to confront the unauthorized ship.
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