Latest news with #BRPTeresaMagbanua
GMA Network
06-06-2025
- General
- GMA Network
PCG sends off PH vessel for US-Japan maritime exercise
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday conducted a send-off ceremony for the BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701), which will join the second trilateral maritime exercise with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the Japan Coast Guard (JCG). The exercise will be held in the vicinity waters of Kagoshima, Japan today. According to the Coast Guard, the participants will also conduct a Search and Rescue Exercise in the vicinity waters of Kinko-Bay. 'The PCG recognizes the significant contributions of USCG and JCG in improving the skills and expertise of its men and women through various human resource development programs,' it said in a statement. PCG added that it seeks a stronger collaboration and deeper diplomatic relations with its counterparts through the exercise. The first trilateral maritime exercise was held in the vicinity waters off Mariveles, Bataan in June 2023. —Joahna Lei Casilao/ VAL, GMA Integrated News
Epoch Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Philippines Escorts Chinese Research Vessel out of EEZ, Unlike Australia and NZ
The Philippines has shown a different attitude to the presence of a CCP research vessel in its territorial waters than Australia and New Zealand in March this year with its coastguard escorting the ship out of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Tan Suo 3 was first detected illegally conducting marine scientific research about 92 nautical miles (nm) (171 kilometres) off Burgos, Ilocos Norte, on May 1. It is believed to have been undertaking deep-sea mapping to support the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) submarine operations. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed its lead patrol vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, and an aircraft to force the CCP ship outside the country's 220-nautical-mile EEZ. It left without incident and took up a position 250 nm out. While in Philippines waters, the Tan Suo 3 deployed a manned submersible vehicle, the Shenhai Yongshi or Deep-Sea Warrior, which is designed for deep-sea exploration and scientific research, and is capable of diving to a depth of 4,500 metres. The PCG recovered an unidentified piece of yellow-coloured equipment, which it says could be part of the instruments used by the Chinese in their research operations. The Tan Suo 3 leaves the Philippines' waters. Courtesy Philippines Coastguard. The Philippines' rapid and no-nonsense reaction to the incursion of a CCP research ship into its EEZ is in sharp contrast to those of New Zealand and Australia. Related Stories 4/28/2025 4/28/2025 In January this year, New Zealand's National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) invited the Tan Suo Yi Hao to conduct 'deep-sea exploration of marine biodiversity in New Zealand's subantarctic waters' over 56 days. It was the CCP's second collaboration with New Zealand, using its deep-sea manned submersible Fen Dou Zhe. This expedition marked the first exploration of the Puysegur Trench, an 800 kilometre (km) long, deep cleft in the seafloor, with the Fen Dou Zhe diving 6 km to the bottom 32 times. A NIWA spokesperson said the involvement of the Tan Suo Ti Hao was necessary because the Fen Dou Zhe is the only research-focused submersible in the world currently able to dive to the deepest parts of the oceans (about 11,000 metres). 'This expedition brought back never-before-seen footage of life in the Puysegur Trench, as well as the first ever biological specimens, and images of the sea floor,' the spokesperson told The Epoch Times. At a function at the Chinese Embassy in Wellington, the CCP's Ambassador Wang Xiaolong called the research 'a crown jewel of bilateral evolving mutually-beneficial partnership.' The Tan Suo Yi Hao. Photograph from the CCP Institute of Acoustics. Asked by this newspaper whether there were any defence and security concerns with having a CCP ship mapping areas in which a submarine could potentially be concealed, New Zealand's Defence Minister Judith Collins said the NZ Defence Force was aware of its location and movements, 'as the Defence Force maintains maritime domain awareness of foreign ships to our region. 'However, the NZDF wasn't actively monitoring it as it had approval to visit New Zealand and conduct operations here with NIWA.' She would not be drawn on whether New Zealand had informed Australia of the vessel's presence before, during, or after it left New Zealand's territorial waters and sailed along Australia's southern coastline. It was a trajectory that seemed to take Australia by surprise, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese telling reporters he would 'prefer' the ship hadn't done so, but that it hadn't broken any international laws. The Australian Department of Defence deployed a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to monitor the ship's activities. In a statement, Chief of Joint Operations Vice Admiral Justin Jones said the Tan Suo Yi Hao entered Australia's EEZ from the Tasman Sea on March 27 and subsequently passed through the Bass Strait between 28 and 29 March, making steady progress. It then spent some time approximately 400 nautical miles (741 km) southeast of Perth. Returning to China via the southern coast of Australia was not the most direct route for the vessel, and nor did the CCP give any reason why it halted its progress several times, once for 12 hours and then a further 17 hours, while it was east of the Australian coast. That led a number of China-watchers to speculate that it had deployed the Fen Dou Zhe to explore and map the Diamantina Trench, between 550 and 630 nm from Australia's coast. Ray Powell, a 35-year veteran of the US Air Force who's currently director of SeaLight and Project Lead at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center is one of those. He noted A map of the path taken by the Tan Suo Yi Hao in 2023, when it repeatedly traversed the area of the Diamantina Trench after sailing past the southern coast of Australia. Courtesy Ray Powell/via Starboard_NZ Powell noted the ship is owned by China's Institute of Acoustics, which has 'deep PLA ties going back decades, as is clearly outlined The Chinese Academy of Sciences has signed What Does Sea Mapping Achieve? Submarines rely on the ocean floor relief to navigate and hide; therefore, understanding the seabed's shape and composition is essential. With a new submarine base due to be constructed at Perth to act as the southern hemisphere centre of operations for the AUKUS fleet, there are obvious strategic advantages to the CCP if being able to covertly surveil—and perhaps even respond to—submarine movements from a deep trench which wouldn't be detected by the U.S. and Australia. The 'most obvious' reason for the CCP to carry out deep-sea research off Australia and New Zealand would be to facilitate its submarine force deployments, including those that are armed with nuclear missiles, at 'strategic deep-sea locations,' Powell concluded. The activities of the research vessel occurred only weeks after While in the southern Tasman, they carried out a The Australian Department of Defence was asked by The Epoch Times for comment on any security risk posed by the work of the Tan Suo Yi Hao off Australia's coast, whether New Zealand informed them of the presence of the ship in the South Pacific Ocean, and whether existing counter-submarine technology could detect a foreign submarine in the Diamantina Trench. However, they declined to comment.
Newsweek
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Ally Intercepts Chinese Ship Near Coast: Video
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Philippines has released footage of its coast guard intercepting a Chinese civilian research vessel amid the ship's dayslong presence in the United States ally's maritime zone. The Philippine coast guard accused the vessel of "conducting unauthorized marine scientific research activities," marking the latest point of contention in the neighbors' territorial dispute. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Philippine coast guard for comment. Why It Matters Under international maritime law, foreign-flagged ships are permitted to sail through another nation's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but cannot exploit natural resources or carry out marine scientific research without permission. China claims upwards of 90 percent of the South China Sea, conflicting with the overlapping claims of several neighbors, including the Philippines. Beijing's expanding presence within the Philippine EEZ—comprising coast guard, paramilitary, and naval vessels—has faced stiff resistance from the U.S. defense-treaty ally, at times leading to dramatic confrontations. What To Know On Monday morning, the 340-foot Tan Suo San Hao, or Discovery No. 3, was located some 106 miles off the coast of the northern Philippine province of Ilocos Norte, Philippine spokesperson Jay Tarriela wrote Monday on X (formerly Twitter). The Philippine coast guard deployed one of its largest ships, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, and an aircraft to observe, challenge, and escort the vessel out of the zone. The 340-foot Chinese research vessel the Discovery No. 3 operating within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone on May 5, 2025. The 340-foot Chinese research vessel the Discovery No. 3 operating within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone on May 5, 2025. Philippine Coast Guard Footage shows a crew member aboard the Teresa Magbanua hailing the Chinese vessel by radio, informing it that its actions were inconsistent with freedom of navigation and ordering it to halt its "illegal activities." According to Tarriela, the Chinese ship ignored the coast guard's radio broadcast. Separate footage posted by the coast guard on Tuesday shows the Discovery No. 3 retrieving what appears to be the deep-sea submersible Shenhai Yong Shi, or Deep-Sea Warrior, and dispatching personnel aboard a rigid-hull inflatable boat to recover a yellow, tube-shaped object from the water. The state-affiliated Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering operates both Discovery No. 3 and the submersible. The manned deep-diving vehicle can reach depths of up to 4,500 meters (approximately 14,760 feet). The Chinese ship was operating near Balikatan, the largest annual joint military exercise between the U.S. and the Philippines. This year, the U.S. drew China's ire after deploying the NMESIS anti-ship missile system for the first time on a far-north Philippine island in strategic Luzon, a location the U.S. views as a critical chokepoint in the event of a conflict with China—particularly over Taiwan, the self-ruled island Beijing claims is its territory. China's Foreign Ministry issued a warning to "those who would play with fire" on the Taiwan issue and said the drills and deployment of strategic weapons foment regional instability. Although Beijing insists these oceanic research ships serve civilian purposes, security analysts suspect they are also being used to collect intelligence for China's military, citing instances of unusual behavior and Beijing's history of relying on dual-use assets. What People Are Saying Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore's Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, on X: "Smoking gun of the PRC [People's Republic of China] research vessel conducting unauthorized marine scientific research with its deep-sea bathyscaphe deployed, and the Philippines exercising its EEZ sovereign right to challenge and escort the vessel away." Monty Khanna, retired rear admiral with the Indian Navy, wrote for the New Delhi-based National Maritime Foundation think tank in March: "China's investment in [manned deep-dives] continues to grow as exemplified by its announced project to build a deep-sea research center permanently stationed at a depth of 2,000 meters. "Continued research in this field will give China a head start to commercially exploit seabed resources as and when norms to do so get established. The dual-use nature of such submersibles also needs to be kept in mind, particularly in the context of interfering with undersea fiber-optic cables, the incidents of which have witnessed a sharp increase over the last two years." What Happens Next China has yet to respond to the Philippine coast guard's reports, and it's unclear how long the Discovery No. 3 will depart the Philippine EEZ. The Balikatan drills are set to conclude on Saturday.
