Manila pulls ship from Sabina Shoal

IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims

The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing.

BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X.

The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said in a statement earlier yesterday.

Photo: the Philippine Coast Guard via AFP

The ship’s pullout could work in Beijing’s favor. China has repeatedly called for the immediate withdrawal of Philippines vessels from the disputed shoal, including during a diplomatic meeting last week.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a key trade route with huge energy potential.

Sabina Shoal has recently emerged as a hot spot in the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines, a key US ally. Beijing and Manila have traded accusations of intent to establish a permanent presence at the coral atoll.

China Coast Guard spokesman Liu Dejun (劉德軍) in a statement on social media said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in the waters under China’s jurisdiction, in accordance with the law, and would resolutely safeguard the nation’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

Local media in the Philippines shared photos on social media showing PCG personnel leaving the ship on stretchers, reportedly due to dehydration after five months at sea.

In 2012, Philippine vessels pulled out from Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島), another South China Sea flashpoint also claimed by China and Taiwan, after a standoff with China. Beijing has since exercised effective control of the chain of reefs and rocks, with its ships guarding the area.

Source