MANILA — A Chinese research vessel has been observed in the resource-abundant Recto Bank (also known as Reed Bank), an independent monitoring group reported on Friday. This sighting follows recent days of the vessel’s reported activity near reefs and shoals west of Palawan.
Ray Powell, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and current director of the SeaLight maritime transparency initiative, stated that China’s 74-meter vessel, Ke Xue San Hao, entered the southern area of Recto Bank at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Recto Bank, an underwater reef formation believed to hold significant oil and natural gas reserves, is located 85 nautical miles from Palawan. Although it lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, Manila has faced challenges in tapping into these resources due to ongoing territorial disputes with Beijing.
According to a 2013 report by the United States Energy Information Administration, Reed Bank could potentially contain up to 5.4 billion barrels of oil and 55.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, noted that Ke Xue San Hao’s movements in Philippine waters have raised suspicions, as the vessel was seen navigating in a zigzag pattern.
“A zigzag pattern or track indicates something else,” Trinidad commented. “When you are navigating in a zigzag pattern, it means you are doing something else. In our community, if a person is acting erratically, it usually means they have bad intentions. If you’re just passing by, you should keep moving straight ahead.”
Trinidad emphasized that while Manila can monitor the presence of foreign ships in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine Navy, Coast Guard, and Department of Foreign Affairs are working closely together regarding the Chinese research vessel. “We don’t want to escalate the situation,” he added.
The Ke Xue San Hao, designed by the Marine Design and Research Institute of China and built by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Co., is equipped with advanced technology for comprehensive marine environment observation, detection, sampling, and analysis, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard.
The same vessel has previously conducted surveys in the resource-rich Philippine Rise. Earlier monitoring data shows that the vessel departed from China’s military base in Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef) on July 26 and has since passed through key locations including Ayungin Shoal, Raja Soliman Shoal, Bulig Shoal, Hasa-Hasa Shoal, Abad Santos Shoal, and Escoda Shoal.