MANILA — The “world’s largest” coast guard ship—the 165-meter China Coast Guard vessel with bow number 5901–conducted an “intrusive patrol” in Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal, former United States Air Force official and maritime security expert Ray Powell said.

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In a post on X, Powell said the ship was accompanied by another CCG vessel. 

“Over the past 24 hours, the world’s largest coast guard ship, the 165-meter China Coast Guard 5901, together with the 102-meter CCG 5203, conducted a brief intrusive patrol into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone west of Scarborough Shoal,” Powell said.

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 Powell explained that "China conducts intrusive patrols deep within the EEZ of neighboring countries… to establish a continuous presence and gradually normalize Chinese jurisdiction over areas granted to its neighbors under international law." 

As of Friday morning, the CCG ship was last spotted 50 nautical miles off Panatag Shoal, according to Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad. 

“The actions, the response will be at the NTF-WPS level. It’s a Chinese coast guard ship and there will be [an] appropriate response from the NTF, the Coast Guard,” Trinidad told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Navy’s 126th Anniversary in Manila.

 PIPE INSTALLATION

Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy said it is treating the initial report of a pipe installation “in the middle of” Panatag Shoal as “unverified” or “unsubstantiated.”

“We checked and we're still trying to find other corroborating reports to that matter,” Trinidad said.

“So far, the report has been on its own. It’s still unverified or unsubstantiated,” he added. 

Mark Figueras, team leader of the “Atin Ito” convoy’s advance boat, disclosed last week that Filipino fisherfolk saw the pipe installation “inside” the low-tide elevation.

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