The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday reported a current case of “close distance maneuvering” by a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel in the contested South China Sea that “constrained” the activity of a Philippine ship cruising close by.
The March 2 case occurred throughout the PCG’s maritime patrol procedures around the Scarborough Shoal, in your area referred to as Bajo de Masinloc, the PCG claimed in a press release.
It was yet uncertain whether the Philippines had actually lodged a polite objection for the case. The PCG claimed it needed to await the go-signal from the nation’s National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea prior to making the case public.
The case entailed a CCG vessel with bow number 3305 that carried out close range handling over a location of about 21 lawns (19.2 m) towards Philippine vessel BRP Malabrigo, the PCG claimed.
“This constrained the maneuvering space of BRP Malabrigo – a clear violation of the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS),” the PCG claimed.
The PCG had actually asked the nation’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to assist attend to the problem with “rules-based and peaceful approaches,” according to the PCG commander, Admiral Artemio Abu.
The DFA and also the Chinese consular office in Manila did not quickly react to ask for remark.
China claims the majority of the waters within a supposed Nine Dash Line in the South China Sea, which is likewise disputed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and also Vietnam.
Abu claimed it was the 4th reported case of close range handling entailing CCG and also Philippine vessels in the Scarborough Shoal considering that May in 2014.
Despite the threats, Abu claimed the implementation of Philippine properties and also employees to waters within the nation’s unique financial areas would certainly proceed.
(Reuters – Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Christopher Cushing)