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., This news data comes from:http://fb-bujh-ga-tl.705-888.com
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.
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.
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.
Chinese research vessel spotted near Philippine coast but 'goes dark' after, says maritime expert
As of posting time, Philippine authorities have yet to issue a statement on the reported movement of the Chinese vessel.
- China races to build world’s largest solar farm
- Discaya’s construction companies competed against each other during biddings
- Lacson to give Dizon 'damning' proof vs DPWH 'rotten fruits'
- DPWH fires Bulacan engineers, blacklists contractors over anomalous projects
- HEADLINES: 15 drug war victims cleared to join Duterte's ICC case | Sept. 7, 2025
- Some areas in Metro Manila, 5 provinces to have power interruptions due to maintenance works
- Peru’s ex-president Toledo gets a second sentence in the Odebrecht corruption scandal
- Repairs on Chinese ship in Bajo de Masinloc collision may take 2 months - PH Navy
- Japanese volunteers to PH 'bedrock' of bilateral relations, says envoy
- LPA over West PH Sea develops into tropical depression, now called ‘Jacinto’ -- Pagasa
