Chinese militia ships swarm Sabina Shoal

AT least eight Chinese vessels have been sighted off Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, a feature located in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) that is under the jurisdiction of Pag-asa village in the Kalayaan town in Palawan.

Based on monitoring by Sealight, a US-based maritime transparency project that monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea, the Chinese maritime militia (CMM) ships have been spotted off the shoal, which lies just 124 nautical miles from Palawan island, and thus well inside the Philippine exclusive economic zone.

Sealight director and retired US Air Force Col. Ray Powell said on Sunday that the Chinese ships, also known as Spratly backbone fishing vessels, have been at the shoal since April 27.

These CMM ships were “rafted” in groups at the shoal, a rendezvous point for Philippine vessels conducting rotation and resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed on board BRP Sierra Madre in nearby Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.

Citing an analysis made by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Powell said these vessels are a segment