Chinese ship that sank GemVer possibly part of maritime militia — report

MANILA, Philippines — Tracking the moves of the Chinese vessel that sank Philippine fishing boat GemVer 1 would suggest that it was more than just a commercial fishing ship, according to a think tank.

Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) reported that Yuemaobinyu 42212 turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) at the time of the collision with GemVer 1 near Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea in June.

The signal of the Chinese ship disappeared on April 26 and was only detected again in June 13 as it entered Bohe Port in China's Guangdong province, a few days after the collision with the Philippine fishing boat.

"When ships 'go dark,' as Yuemaobinyu 42212 did after leaving port on April 26, it indicates that vessel operators may have switched off their transponders to avoid detection, which makes missing AIS signals an important clue when tracking illicit activities," AMTI said.

The report, however, noted that the Chinese vessel's AIS transponder often cannot communicate with satellite-based receivers.

Yuemaobinyu 42212 might not have been tracked between April 26 and June 13 when it went far from shore as its transponder was only designed for smaller vessels not transiting international waters.

The AMTI also looked into the records of Yuemaobinyu 42212 and found that it is registered to Bohe Port in Maoming City, Guangdong province. 

Based on Chinese public reports, a maritime militia unit has also been established in the Dianbai district of Maoming City.

"The unit operates from Bohe Port, where Yuemaobinyu 42212 is based, and where fishing vessels are conscripted for paramilitary exercises in preparation for maritime combat," the report read.

The think tank noted that the same vessel, which might be previously named Yuedianyu 42212, was previously used for government-backed fisheries research in the South China Sea.

As the Chinese ship supposedly changed its name, it also used a different Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number assigned to individual vessels.

"The seemingly renamed Yuemaobinyu 42212 is now using a different MMSI, but the months-long overlap is yet another potentially telling data point in the vessel’s history," AMTI reported.

"These facts do not prove that the 42212 is part of the maritime militia. They do, however, strongly suggest that it does not operate solely as a commercial fishing ship, which raises the question of whether the collision with the GemVer was intentional," it added.

Following the Recto Bank collision, the Chinese vessel has stopped broadcasting its AIS shortly after reentering Bohe Port in June 14. It was again detected in September 22 from outside the Shidao port in China's Shandong Peninsula.

While the owner of the Chinese vessel had apologized in August, the 22 Filipino fishermen affected by the incident have yet to be compensated.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Filipino fishermen should file an insurance claim for them to be properly compensated.

"You have to file an insurance claim and then let the process proceed. There are protocols. The insurance company will not just give them compensation, there has to be a claim," Panelo said in September.

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