Chinese vessel spotted near Manila Bay
Fresh from the "wild" incident near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, or Bajo de Masinloc, on the West Philippine Sea where a Chinese Navy Warship collided with a Chinese Coast Guard vessel after chasing Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Suluan,
China again seems to be engaging in bolder moves.
Former United State Airforce official and director of Sealight, Ray Powell, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, CCG 3306, was spotted positioned near Manila Bay, or just outside the Philippines' 24-nautical mile contiguous zone.
The PCG has yet to comment on the matter.
Powell regularly monitors the movement of vessels in the South China Sea which is adjacent to the West Philippine Sea.
Powell said the Chinese vessel appeared to be intercepting a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship, the BRP Cape San Agustin, which was heading towards the area of Bajo de Masinloc.
“A Chinese escort has been assigned to the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Cape San Agustin. China Coast Guard (CCG) 3306 waits just outside Manila Bay for it to emerge,” said Powell on X.
CCG 3306 is the same vessel that used water cannon against the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources' (BFAR) BRP Datu Bangkaya near Bajo de Masinloc on Monday, August 11.
Fortunately, it did not hit the BFAR vessel.
On the same day, two Chinese vessels collided with each other while in pursuit of PCG's BRP Suluan.
One of the Chinese vessels, the CCG ship was badly damaged in the collision and rendered it unseaworthy.
Screenshot from PCG video of collision of two Chinese vessels, August 11, 2025.
The BRP Suluan, meanwhile, was unscathed after the tensed incident.
Powell also added that a Chinese research vessel was monitored one kilometre away from Bajo de Masinloc on Friday, August 8.
He is surprised on what he called "an unsual development" that China's research ship Xian Yang Hong 10 was deployed to the area.
“Its purpose there is unknown, but its capabilities include deep-sea surveying, resource exploration and deploying autonomous underwater vehicles,” he said.
