MANILA, Philippines — A Chinese research vessel approached close to the Philippine coastline on Saturday morning before switching off its tracking system, a maritime security analyst reported.
Retired US Air Force Col. Ray Powell, director of the SeaLight project at Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center, said that the Dong Fang Hong 3, a 103-meter oceanographic ship, came within 65 nautical miles of the Philippines before going “dark” at 7:12 a.m. local time.
Chinese research vessel spotted near Philippine coast but 'goes dark' after, says maritime expert
The vessel is equipped with advanced oceanographic sensors, multi-beam sonar, and remotely operated vehicles, giving it the capability to conduct seabed mapping, acoustic monitoring, and surveys of underwater infrastructure, Powell noted., This news data comes from:http://052298.com
He warned that such activities form part of Beijing’s “gray zone tactics playbook,” in which China mixes legitimate scientific research with assertion of its maritime claims and the gathering of potential military intelligence.
Powell’s post, citing tracking data from maritime analytics firm Starboard, comes amid continuing tensions in the West Philippine Sea, where Manila has repeatedly protested Chinese incursions.
As of posting time, Philippine authorities have yet to issue a statement on the reported movement of the Chinese vessel.
- UK police arrest hundreds in latest Palestine Action demo
- Bonoan freezes DPWH travel passes
- MMDA proposes rainwater facilities in Camp Aguinaldo to mitigate EDSA flooding
- Earthquake in eastern Afghanistan kills at least 610 people and injures 1,300
- 100K Pakistanis flee amid flood threat
- New mining law to balance profit, ecology
- PH, Australia hold live fire drills during ALON 2025 in Nueva Ecija
- Epstein victims compiling list of sexual abusers
- ERC amends net-metering rules to expand renewable energy options
- Marcos to create independent commission to investigate flood control anomalies
