The Philippine Coast Guard detained at least seven Chinese crew members of a foreign-flagged ship on Thursday after it was found to have entered the Southeast Asian country's waters illegally.
The Coast Guard sent personnel to investigate after being notified that a tanker, identified as the Sierra-Leone-registered MT Hyperline 988, was flying the Philippine flag in waters off the town of San Felipe in Zambales province, local media cited the agency as saying.
The crew had switched off the vessel's automatic identification system, which ships use to broadcast their position to each other, and ignored the Coast Guard's radioed instructions.
During the inspection, the seven Chinese nationals onboard, including the captain, "failed to present original and printed versions of relevant documents, including the crew list, passports, and seaman's books," Euphraim Jayson Diciano, chief of Zambales' Coast Guard outpost, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The Coast Guard said the ship had departed Hong Kong on May 11. The crew reported that they had set a course for San Felipe before reaching their alleged final destination, the Philippine capital Manila, due to the cheaper docking fees, although San Felipe does not operate a port and thus does not charge a docking fee.
The agency noted that the ship had a record of eight prior offenses related to pollution and safety. As of Saturday, the Hyperline 988 was being held in waters off San Felipe, Diciano said.
The Philippine Coast Guard and Chinese embassy in Manila didn't immediately respond to written requests for comment.
The detainment comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea between Chinese maritime forces and the U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty ally.
China asserts sovereignty over most of the energy-rich waterway, through which an estimated one-fifth of global trade is estimated to pass. These claims overlap with the internationally recognized exclusive economic zones of the Philippines and several other Chinese neighbors in the region.
Since coming to power in 2022, the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been pushing back more assertively against Chinese Coast Guard and paramilitary activities within the Philippine EEZ.
China has responded increasingly forcefully, including with direct water cannon fire and up-close maneuvers, as it seeks to block Philippine government missions from undertaking operations in disputed areas.
The issue has roused nationalistic sentiment within the Philippines.
Last week, a civilian flotilla comprising around 100 boats sailed to waters near the contested Scarborough Shoal, which China wrested from the Philippines 12 years ago after a territorial standoff.
The volunteers managed to distribute fuel and food packs to local fishermen operating there, although a large blockading force of Chinese ships kept them from sailing as close to the shoal as they had hoped.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more
