The Philippines National Security Council (NSC) revealed that last Saturday the country’s Coast Guard found the largest Chinese Maritime Surveillance Ship in the country’s exclusive economic zone. As of Monday (January 6), the ship has not yet left, and the NSC is closely monitoring the situation.
During a public briefing on Monday, a spokesperson for the Philippines National Security Council stated that the country’s Coast Guard is closely monitoring the ship nicknamed “Monster,” which is 165 meters long and has been sailing in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The spokesperson mentioned that the Coast Guard has dispatched a patrol boat and two aircraft to track this Chinese maritime surveillance ship, ensuring that it does not engage in illegal activities within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Meanwhile, the Philippine military’s Northern Luzon Command remains on standby.
The deployment of this massive ship is seen as part of China’s strategy to assert its sovereignty claims in the West Philippine Sea and potentially threaten the Philippines, according to the spokesperson.
“This appears to be part of the threat, it is China’s coercion, aggression, and deception. They are flaunting their massive ship to deter our fishermen from fishing in the West Philippine Sea,” the spokesperson said.
According to reports from Filipino media, the Philippines Coast Guard discovered the “Monster” vessel last Saturday (January 4) approximately 100 kilometers off Capones Island in Zambales province in the northwest of the country.
The “Monster” is the Chinese Maritime Surveillance Ship with the designation 5901, with a displacement of 12,000 tons, making it the largest active Chinese maritime surveillance ship in terms of tonnage. It is equipped with heavy machine guns and a helicopter platform.
The “Monster” had previously appeared multiple times in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in 2024, and had at times turned off its automatic identification system, making it harder for the Philippines side to track and monitor its movements.
The Philippines utilized a covert ship detection system from Canada this time, which utilizes satellite technology to locate vessels that have not activated their automatic identification systems.
Ray Powell, director of the SeaLight project at Stanford University, stated that China’s 5901 Maritime Surveillance Ship arrived at Scarborough Shoal on January 1 this year to strengthen Beijing’s control over the area. Three other Chinese maritime surveillance ships and seven maritime militia vessels are also active in the vicinity.
Scarborough Shoal is located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and has historically been a traditional fishing ground for Filipino fishermen. However, in recent years, China has imposed restrictions on Filipino fishermen’s access and effectively asserted control over the region.
In 2013, the Philippines brought the issue of Scarborough Shoal to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The tribunal ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s so-called nine-dash line claim had no legal basis under international law. However, China did not recognize this ruling.