MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government recently confirmed that hundreds of Chinese vessels have been moored in Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef but the fleet has been arriving in the area since December, according to a report.
Satellite images released by US-based Simularity showed that a large number of Chinese ships have been "mooring, arriving and departing" at the coral reef since mid-December last year.
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"Between March 23-24, 2021, Simularity counted approximately 200 vessels at Whitsun Reef, of which most are probable fishing vessels, and a few are probable Chinese Coast Guard vessels," the 20-page report read.
Simularity, a software company that checks for new satellite imagery of the South China Sea every week, documented the activity of Chinese ships on Julian Felipe Reef, which is well within Philippine exclusive economic zone.
Satellite images from December 2020 showed supposed fishing ships moored together with a width of up to 200 meters, making fishing impossible.
"The number of moored ships dips briefly in early February, but the number of ships arriving and departing is still substantial," Simularity reported.
On Sunday night, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. filed a diplomatic protest after the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea confirmed that 220 Chinese ships, believed to be part of Beijing's maritime militia, have been sighted in Julian Felipe Reef on March 7.
The West Philippine Sea is a part of the South China Sea that falls within Manila's exclusive economic zone.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines conducted a patrol afterwards and confirmed on Monday that at least 183 Chinese boats are still present in the area.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila, however, insisted that the ships were just "taking shelter" in the area and that no maritime militia was involved.
A few days after lodging a diplomatic protest, the Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement calling on Beijing to promptly withdraw its vessels in the area.
"We reiterate that the continued deployment, lingering presence and activities of Chinese vessels in Philippine maritime zones blatantly infringe upon Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction," the DFA said in a statement released March 23. — satellite images from European Space Agency — produced from ESA remote sensing data