alt

Activities of the Claimants

China

New vessel to supply South China Sea islands

alt

A new supply ship set sail January 5th from Hainan Island for the so-called Sansha City on its maiden voyage to islands in the vast South China Sea. Sansha I, 122 meters long and 21 meters wide, has a displacement of 7,800 tonnes. The rollon-rolloff vessel can accommodate up to 456 people and carry 20 standard container trailers, cover 6,000 nautical miles without docking and has a top speed of 19 knots. It has a helicopter pad to help in rescue missions. Sailing time between Hainan Island and Phu Lam Island will be reduced from 15 hours to about 10.

China established 4 armed forces departments

China on January 6th established at the same time 4 people's armed forces departments of the so-called Sansha City, including people's armed forces department of Phu Lam Island, people's armed forces department  of That Lien (Qilianyu) Islands group, people's armed forces department of Luoi Liem (Yongle) Islands group and people's armed forces department of Spratly Islands. The people's armed forces departments were built in order to improve the grass-roots people's livelihood and promote economic development, according to the city officials. 

CNOOC announces gas discovery in South China Sea

CNOOC Limited on January 6th announced that the Company has successfully made a new mid-to-large sized natural gas discovery Lingshui 25-1 on the independent deepwater exploration. The Lingshui 25-1 structure is located in the northeast of Ledong Sag in Qiongdongnan Basin of South China Sea, with an average water depth of about 980 meters. The discovery well Lingshui 25-1-1 was drilled and completed at a depth of about 4,000 meters and encountered the oil and gas pay zone with a total thickness of about 73 meters. The well was tested to produce about 35.6 million cubic feet of natural gas and 395 barrels of oil per day.

China's reclamation on South China Sea halfway done

China’s reclamation on Chu Thap (Fiery Cross) Reef is halfway done, Philippine Armed Forces chief of staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang said January 7th. Earlier reports said the reclamation, which is at least 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) long has almost covered the entire length of the reef, which Catapang believes will eventually be developed into a military airstrip. “If you quantify it, maybe about 50 percent tapos na sila (complete),” Catapang told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Catapang acknowledged that a Chinese airstrip would be “alarming in the sense that that it could be used for other purposes other than for peaceful use.”

New platform workboat to serve for South China Sea drilling

China's largest offshore platform workboat was delivered on January 8th. Wuchuan Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co Ltd produced the vessel, which has a gross tonnage of 5,300 tons, for Shanghai Salvage Co at a cost of nearly 500 million yuan ($83 million). The workboat, which measures 89.2 meters in length and 22 meters in molded breadth, has a drag force of 296 tons, which makes it able to tow floating drilling platforms that weigh over several thousand tons.

Vietnam

Vietnam firmly protects sovereignty in South China Sea

Vietnam’s authorised agencies are tasked with firmly safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the South China Sea, Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang told reporters at a regular press conference in Hanoi on January 8th. She was responding to the reporters’ question regarding China’s drilling rig Haiyang Shiyou-981’s movement in international waters into the South China Sea. Hang said as a party to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), Vietnam has always fully implemented all of its rights and obligations in line with international law, contributing to peace, stability, security, freedom and safety of navigation in the South China Sea. She added Vietnam determinedly opposes acts that violate its sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction in the waters.

Hoang Sa district head protests against China’s illegal acts

alt

The Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoang Sa district of the central city of Da Nang on January 8th protested against China’s illegal activities in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago as well as in the South China Sea. Chairman Vo Cong Chanh also demanded that China stop all those activities to maintain peace, friendship, and cooperation between the two countries and in the region. The official raised the objection after China’s Hainan provincial administration announced on January 6th that it will establish four people’s armed forces departments in the so-called Sansha city in Hoang Sa archipelago and China held drills in Phu Lam Island in Hoang Sa.

The Philippines

Philippines to buy two C130 transport planes from U.S. Navy

The Philippine military on January 9th signed a pact with the U.S. Navy to buy two secondhand C-130 transport planes to boost its capability to fan out quickly for territorial defense and humanitarian operations. Washington has been helping develop the military capability of its former colony in the face of serious security challenges in the South China Sea, as China steps up its presence in disputed areas. "The United States is helping us pay for these two aircraft," Colonel Restituto Padilla, a spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said, adding that the U.S. State Department would provide about $20 million in foreign military financing. "We have requested some 1.6 billion pesos to complete the purchase of the transport planes," he added, referring to a sum equivalent to $35.61 million.

Indonesia

Malaysian ship blown up by Indonesia

Indonesian police sank on January 9th a ship flying the Malaysian flag for illegally fishing in Pandan Island waters, North Sumatra. Witnessed by North Sumatra police chief Insp Gen Eko Hadi Sutedjo, the trawler was blown up off Belawan, Medan. “The explosion of the ship was permitted by the court. This is the first,” Eko said, pledging to continue firm action as deterrence to illegal fishers. “It’s a warning for foreign ships that illegally fish in our waters,” he said.

Regional Snapshots

Australia-Japan joint submarine deal

Australia has reportedly welcomed an offer from Japan to jointly build a fleet of new submarines, with a possible deal by the end of the year. Japanese media is reporting Tokyo has proposed to help build the submarines, instead of exporting a new fleet to Australia. Under the proposal, Japan's defence ministry will assist Australia in developing special steel and other materials for its new submarines, while Tokyo will be in charge of assembly.

US, Indonesia expand military cooperation agreement

Indonesia and the United States have signed an action plan to expand military cooperation and improve Indonesia's defense readiness. The signing ceremony at the  Ministry of Defense in Jakarta on January 7th was witnessed by the ministry's Secretary General, Lt. Gen. Ediwan Prabowo, and U.S. Deputy Ambassador Kristen Bauer. After the ceremony, Prabowo said the 2015 action plan would substantially expand the U.S. Defense Institution Reform Initiative (DIRI) Program in Indonesia. "Today we begin to ... establish a master plan for 2015. The focus of cooperation between the Ministry of Defense and DIRI is not only in one program. The cooperation would involve the  directorate general’s defense strategy, defense planning and its defense potential," said Prabawo. On his part, Bauer said defense cooperation with Indonesia is a long-term commitment for the United States.

Chinese armed forces destroy equipment, steal property from Vietnamese fishing boat

alt

The captain of a local fishing boat on January 9th reported to local authorities that two Chinese ships had attacked his vessel in Vietnamese waters, causing total damage of US$16,370, the Vietnam Fisheries Trade Union said the same day, demanding that China stop such illegal acts immediately. The attack happened at 11:00 am on January 7th when the fishing boat QNg 96372 from the central province of Quang Ngai was operating in waters off Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, Le Tan, the ship’s captain, told the Ly Son Border Guard Station in the province’s Ly Son island district. At that time, Chinese fisheries surveillance ship #306 and another Chinese ship suddenly appeared and approached the local ship, which was carrying 15 fishermen. The assault caused damage totaling VND350 million ($16,370) to his fishing boat, Captain Tan said.