Another Chinese Coast Guard Vessel Detected Entering Malaysian EEZ Waters Today
The entry of another Chinese coast guard vessel, with pennant number 5302, into Malaysia's EEZ was reported today by South China Sea observer Ray Powell in a post on platform X under @GordionKnotRay.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – Another Chinese coast guard vessel has been detected entering the waters of Malaysia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, potentially joining several other Chinese vessels identified in the country’s EEZ waters in recent days.
The entry of the additional Chinese coast guard vessel, with pennant number 5302, was reported by South China Sea observer Ray Powell via a post on platform X under @GordionKnotRay today.
Powell is also the Director of SeaLight.Live and co-host of the @IndoPacPodcast.
According to Powell, the 99-meter-long Chinese coast guard vessel 5302 was earlier detected leaving Indonesia’s EEZ and entering Vietnam’s EEZ, an area known for its rich oil and gas resources. It was subsequently detected in Malaysia’s EEZ.
On September 7, Powell also posted on his platform X about the presence of a Chinese research/survey vessel, Ke Xue San Hao, near Ardasier Bank (Terumbu Ubi) located within Malaysia’s EEZ in the South China Sea.
Ardasier Bank is approximately 150 nautical miles from Kota Kinabalu, clearly within Malaysia’s EEZ as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Powell noted that the presence of the Chinese research vessel had attracted the attention of Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) ships KD Sundang and KD Selangor, as well as a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) vessel, KM Arau.
It is likely that the RMN and MMEA ships are “shadowing” the Chinese research vessel.
The Chinese research vessel reportedly entered Malaysia’s EEZ to conduct research activities related to natural seabed resources, including oil and gas, after performing similar activities in Vietnam’s and the Philippines’ EEZs.
While in the Philippine EEZ, the Chinese research vessel was monitored by a Chinese coast guard ship, known as “The Monster” due to its size, weighing up to 12,000 tons.
The Ke Xue San Hao was built in 2006, designed by the Marine Design and Research Institute of China, and constructed by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co.
It is owned by the China Institute of Oceanology and is equipped with advanced technology to carry out comprehensive marine research.
A few days prior to the presence of the Chinese research vessel at Ardasier Bank, Powell also reported via platform X the presence of three Chinese coast guard vessels in Malaysia’s EEZ waters in the South China Sea.
The three vessels identified were CCG 5403, CCG 5102, and CCG 5402.
Ship tracking applications indicated that Chinese coast guard vessels CCG 5403 and CCG 5102 were believed to be near the Kasawari gas development area, operated by Malaysia’s national oil and gas company, Petronas, in Block 316, which is clearly within Malaysia’s EEZ.
Petronas Carigali, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Petronas, is responsible for the development and operation of the Kasawari Gas Field, which is estimated to be worth billions of ringgit. – DSA
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