Jamaine Punzalan

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Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — A China Coast Guard (CCG) ship was spotted “pretty close” to Manila Bay on Friday, according to a maritime security expert.</p><p>Ray Powell, a former United States Air Force official and director of Sealight, said the CCG 3306 was positioned just outside the Philippines’ 24-nautical mile contiguous zone—beyond the country’s territorial waters.</p><p>The Chinese vessel appeared to be intercepting a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship, the BRP Cape San Agustin, which was heading towards the general area of Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, he added.</p><p>“A Chinese escort has been assigned to the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Cape San Agustin. China Coast Guard 3306 waits just outside Manila Bay for it to emerge,” Powell said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).</p><p>“China seems determined to intercept and escort any Philippine ship mobbing in Scarborough Shoal’s general direction,” he noted.</p><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:495px;height:1097px;display:block;flex-grow:1" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1956154700350533936&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-08-15T05%3A06%3A47.996964%3Aa22f98df-12d9-4625-a0bd-9b4e1e863135%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=13ea4120ddfeba06da37368eca114971900bd5bc&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" data-tweet-id="1956154700350533936"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Powell added that a Chinese research vessel was monitored one kilometer away from Bajo de Masinloc on Friday morning.</p><p>“In a surprise and unusual development, China’s research ship Xiang Yang Hong 10 has deployed to Scarborough Shoal. It left Fiery Cross Reef on August 12,” Powell said.</p><p>“Its purpose there is unknown, but its capabilities include deep-sea surveying, resource exploration and deploying autonomous underwater vehicles,” he said. </p><p>Powell added that a Chinese research vessel was monitored one kilometer away from Bajo de Masinloc on Friday morning.</p><p>“In a surprise and unusual development, China’s research ship Xiang Yang Hong 10 has deployed to Scarborough Shoal. It left Fiery Cross Reef on August 12,” Powell said.</p><p>“Its purpose there is unknown, but its capabilities include deep-sea surveying, resource exploration and deploying autonomous underwater vehicles,” he said. </p><p>Powell regularly monitors the movement of vessels in the South China Sea, where the smaller West Philippine Sea is located.</p><p>ABS-CBN News has sought comment from the PCG regarding the matter, but it has yet to respond as of this writing.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>WATER CANNON </strong></div><div><br/></div><div><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RSnNaiImQ_w" title="Chinese vessel launches water cannon attack on PH ship anew | ANC" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>CCG 3306 is the same vessel that used a water cannon against the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ (BFAR) BRP Datu Bangkaya in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc on Monday. It did not hit the target ship.</p><p>Meanwhile, another CCG vessel with bow number 4305 unleashed relentless water cannon blasts on the BRP Datu Sumkad in a sustained 40-minute attack.</p><p>No crew members were injured.</p><p>The two BFAR vessels were conducting routine maritime patrols in the area when the incident occurred.</p><p>That same day, a CCG ship and a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warship collided while pursuing the PCG’s BRP Suluan near the shoal.</p><p>The CCG vessel sustained substantial damage, rendering it unseaworthy.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/8/15/ph-not-responsible-for-chinese-ship-collision-in-bajo-de-masinloc-dfa-1130">PH not responsible for Chinese ship collision in Bajo de Masinloc: DFA</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>CHINESE VESSELS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Based on data from the Philippine Navy, a total of seven CCG ships and 13 Chinese maritime militia vessels were monitored in Bajo de Masinloc as of Tuesday—a marked increase in Chinese presence since August 4.</p><p>Bajo de Masinloc is located 124 nautical miles west of mainland Zambales, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).</p><p>On the other hand, it is 472 nautical miles from Hainan Province, China’s nearest land mass. The shoal, however, has been under Beijing’s control since 2012.</p><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div><div><br/></div><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div><div><iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jVaxuxWGPOo" title="PH coast guard suspects casualties in collision of two Chinese vessels in West PH Sea | ANC" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>A China Coast Guard ship was spotted “pretty close” to Manila Bay on Friday, according to a maritime security expert.</p>

A China Coast Guard ship was spotted “pretty close” to Manila Bay on Friday, according to a maritime security expert.

Chinese coast guard ship spotted near Manila Bay, seen tailing PCG vessel bound for Bajo de Masinloc

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Chinese coast guard ship spotted near Manila Bay, seen tailing PCG vessel bound for Bajo de Masinloc

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 15, 2025 12:15 PM PHT

Read More:

China Coast Guard

West Philippine Sea

Bajo de Masinloc

Scarborough Shoal

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