Movement of China's research vessel off Luzon 'suspicious' – Tarriela

MANILA, Philippines — The movement of China’s fisheries research ship off Luzon seemed suspicious, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela pointed out that Lan Hai 101—one of China’s largest fisheries research ships—maintained an approximate distance of 24 to 25 nautical miles while transiting near the region.

“What is suspicious about the movement of the Chinese official research vessel is that it maintained its approximate distance of 24 to 25 nautical miles off the coast of Luzon," Tarriela said in an interview over Radyo 639.

"If you can see the whole of Luzon, there are a lot of contours if you go around,” he noted.



“And for them to maintain such distance, they're precise. It will make you think why they are intentionally following the contour of our coastline," he pointed out.

"But again, this may be speculative. But the mere fact that this is a Chinese research vessel, one will ask, 'Why are they doing that?'” he wondered.

Although Lan Hai 101 told them that it is just “invoking the right of innocent passage,” Tarriela revealed that the research vessel traveled the same distance while moving near some Luzon areas such as Palawan, Mindoro, Zambales, Pangasinan, and Ilocos.

“So if what they're just doing is an innocent passage, kung titingnan mo, isang diretsuhan lang dapat. If you do not have any other intention, why would [they] make an effort to do a contour of all these coastlines?” he asked.

(If you look at it, the vessel’s movement should be just straight.)

READ: PCG: China’s largest research ship seen near Babuyan Island coastline

On Wednesday, Tarriela reported that Lan Hai 101 was last spotted about 62 nautical miles off the Babuyan Island coastline.

The presence of Lan Hai within the country’s archipelagic waters was first reported by Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, a program of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.

“The Lan Hai 101, one of  China’s two largest fisheries research ships, is now transiting the Philippines’ archipelagic waters. It appears to be en route to the Philippine Sea,” said Powell in a post on X last February 10.

PCG has been monitoring the movements of CCG vessels unlawfully operating within the country’s exclusive economic zone and near Zambales since January.

Beijing’s continued aggression was based on its assertion of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea.

It continues to reject the 2016 arbitral ruling that effectively dismissed its claims and ruled in favor of Manila.

(2025/02/13-09:49)