The world’s largest coast guard vessel, which belongs to China and has earned the ‘Monster Ship’ moniker, has been traversing the West Philippines Sea, forcing Manila to mobilize air and sea assets of its military and coast guard to challenge the ‘Monster’ going dark in its waters near Zambales.
The Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) maintains that the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) has no legal authority in the area under the Philippine law, UNCLOS, and the 2016 Arbitral Award. The Chinese ‘Monster’ Ship with bow number 5901 was spotted 54 nautical miles off Capones Island, Zambales.
The PCG used a Canadian dark vessel detection system to detect the presence of the 165-meter-long Chinese vessel. The PCG sees the Chinese presence as aimed at legitimizing their activities near Bajo de Masinloc (the Philippines’ name of the disputed Shoal) and discouraging Filipino fishermen from operating in the area.
Taking on the 12,000-ton Chinese Monster Ship is the PCG’s BRP Cabra. The appearance of the CCG’s “monster ship” closer to the Zambales coastline has been a concerning development.
“The PCG remains committed to ensuring Filipino fishermen can operate safely and without harassment within our EEZ,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said.
This is not the first time “The Monster” has been spotted within the country’s EEZ. In May 2024, it was seen 93 km (50 nautical miles) off Panatag, which, according to the Philippines, was part of China’s attempt to “normalize” its presence and jurisdiction in these waters.
China had anchored its “Monster” coast guard vessel within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
From June 17 until it exited the country’s EEZ 10 days later, the Chinese ship passed near 12 of the Philippines’ maritime features while occasionally providing supplies to Chinese vessels it encountered along the way.
The Monster goes dark from time to time, switching off its AIS (automatic Identification system), making it difficult to trace its movements.
Beijing’s colossal coast guard ship frequently plays a key role in advancing China’s territorial ambitions. Last year, the CCG-5901 vessel was deployed near Vanguard Bank, a known flashpoint between Vietnam and China, where Vietnam has significant oil and gas fields.
Experts have marked the year 2024 as the “most violent” and “most dangerous moment” for both Beijing and Manila in their protracted South China Sea dispute. The Philippines lost control of yet another feature – Sabina Shoal – but was able to harness multinational support and military aid to increase its defense posture in the troubled waterway.
On March 5, 2024, Chinese and Philippine Coast Guard vessels collided near the Second Thomas Shoal, injuring four Filipino crew members. The Chinese ships blocked Philippine vessels and executed dangerous maneuvers, causing minor collisions.
On August 31, 2024, another collision occurred near the Sabina Shoal, with both sides trading blame. The Philippines claimed a Chinese ship intentionally rammed its vessel, while China accused the Philippines of deliberately crashing into their ship.
On December 4, 2024, a confrontation took place around the Scarborough Shoal, with conflicting accounts from both sides. The Philippine Coast Guard reported aggressive actions by Chinese vessels, including water cannon blasts and dangerous maneuvers.
Chinese Coast Guard’s Growing Prowess
The Chinese Coast Guard is the largest in the world in terms of the number of ships and dwarfs the navies of the country’s regional neighbors combined.
The Chinese Coast Guard operates nearly 1,275 hulls while defending “China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.” However, over the years, the white hull operators have started operating in the “gray zone, ” posing a significant security challenge in the Indo-Pacific.
The Chinese Coast Guard has 225 ships of over 500 tons capable of operating offshore and additional vessels confined to closer waters. China has two of the world’s largest coast guard ships, weighing 10,000 tons at full load.
The Chinese Coast Guard’s Zhataou-class patrol vessel is the world’s biggest armed coast guard cutter, larger than the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. More than the size of its vessel is its coercive tactics that “deliberately” stop short of war, which has been a conundrum for US allies in Asia.
The past year has seen Manila and Beijing at loggerheads as China claims the entire South China Sea, at times cutting into the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zones.
Since 2023, the Philippines has started a “transparency campaign” to expose the “gray zone” tactics of the Chinese Coast Guard, often in contravention of international law. In 2023, the Chinese Coast Guard used a military-grade laser that temporarily blinded a Filipino crew.
In 2013, China merged five civil maritime agencies into the unified Chinese Coast Guard, referred to as the Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE). This MLE is congruent with the country’s burgeoning national power.
The Coast Guard was also moved from civilian control to the authority of the Military Commission. With no dearth of budget, China has been augmenting its coast guard’s capability.
