Photo credit: PCG

China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901, identified as one of the world's largest coast guard ships, has been observed entering the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Malaysia and Brunei, in addition to multiple incursions into the Philippines' EEZ in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

According to a statement from Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela, the movements of CCG 5901 over the past 10 days were monitored using Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection technology. The vessel was initially tracked departing from Hainan on June 17 and proceeding to encroach upon Philippine-occupied features such as Parola and Pag-asa islands.

Afterwards, CCG 5901 navigated through Zamora Reef and subsequently entered Malaysian and Bruneian waters on June 20, potentially for resupply purposes at Kagitingan Reef. It then returned to the Philippine EEZ, passing through Rizal Reef and making another stop at Panganiban Reef on June 23.

Continuing its course within Philippine waters, the vessel passed Lawak and Patag, and briefly halted at Escoda Shoal before heading towards El Nido, Palawan, maintaining a distance of 34 nautical miles from the coastline. It later turned towards Bajo de Masinloc (BDM) before eventually heading back to Hainan after a brief stop at BDM.

As of Thursday morning, CCG 5901 was tracked at a location 46 nautical miles southeast of Sanya, Hainan, China. The vessel's presence near Ayungin Shoal, reported on Tuesday by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), underscores China's persistent patrols aiming to assert claims over areas within the Philippines' EEZ.

The AFP continues to monitor these activities closely, particularly around BRP Sierra Madre, highlighting China's ongoing pattern of intrusive patrols in defiance of international maritime laws.