China has dispatched a retired Chinese navy rescue vessel, the China Yuzheng 311, to patrol the South China Sea where last week the USNS Impeccable was harrassed by five chinese vessels, an incident that has sparked much debate over the area. AFP tells us:
BEIJING (AFP) — China has dispatched its most modern patrol ship to the South China Sea, state press said Sunday, after an incident with a US naval vessel and a fresh claim by the Philippines to the disputed territory.
The Beijing News said the vessel would conduct patrols of what it called China’s exclusive maritime zone in the disputed waters surrounding the Paracel and Spratly Islands.
It said the converted naval rescue ship would aid Chinese fishing boats and transport vessels.
The Philippines passed a law last week which lays claim to disputed islands in the Spratlys chain that are also claimed by China. Beijing has called the law “illegal and invalid.”
Tensions in the area rose further when the United States sent destroyers to international waters off southern China to protect a naval surveillance patrol that was involved in a stand off with Chinese vessels.
China says the US patrol vessels were within its 200-kilometre (125-mile) economic exclusive zone, but the United States has insisted they were in international waters.
The Spratly and Paracel island chains have been flashpoints for years.
The Spratlys are claimed in full or part by China and Vietnam as well as the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, and the Paracels are claimed by China, which now occupies them, as well as by Vietnam and Taiwan.
The region is believed to have large oil and natural gas reserves that straddle sea lanes and rich fishing grounds.
More on this story at BBC and UPI
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 108,747 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
A crew member on a Singapore-registered chemical tanker was injured due to an "unauthorised boarding" of the vessel on Friday and is being medically evacuated, Singapore's port authority said.
Russian authorities are tightening measures at ports, including employing divers to inspect the underside of vessels, in response to rising threats to merchant shipping and infrastructure, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The 3,147 dwt Russian cargo vessel Pavel Grabovskiy is awaiting rescue in the Sea of Azov. The vessel suffered a hull breach on February 16. The cause of the damage...
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 108,747 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
