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South China News

10 Mar 2024

Esgian Week 10 Report: Additional Backlog Secured

© freddytb Foto / Adobe Stock

Esgian reports that offshore drilling contractors secured additional backlog in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Egypt, Nigeria, and Brazil and operators confirmed new discoveries in Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire, and China in its Week 10 Rig Analytics Market Roundup.ContractsDiamond Offshore has executed a two-year contract extension with a subsidiary of bp in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico for the 12,000-ft drillship Ocean BlackHornet.Shelf Drilling’s 250-ft jackup Rig 141 has secured a two-year…

05 Mar 2024

Philippines Summons China Diplomat Over 'Aggressive' Actions in South China Sea

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The Philippines summoned China's deputy chief of mission in Manila on Tuesday to protest what it called "aggressive actions" by Chinese naval forces against a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed on a South China Sea shoal.Manila's South China Sea task force said Philippine vessels carrying out the routine mission to the Second Thomas Shoal were "harassed (and) blocked" by Chinese maritime militia and coast guard ships on Tuesday.Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannon…

12 Feb 2024

Philippines Accuses China of Dangerous Maneuvers Near Scarborough Shoal

(Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)

The Philippines' coast guard (PCG) on Sunday accused China of "dangerous and blocking" manoeuvres while its vessel patrolled near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea this month.Manila's coast guard said in a statement that on a nine-day patrol near the shoal by its 97-meter (318-foot) vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua, four Chinese coast guard (CCG) vessels had shadowed the boat more than 40 times.Four Chinese maritime militia vessels were also present near the shoal, the PCG said.Located within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ)…

01 Feb 2024

Philippines Plans to Buy Submarines to Defend Sovereignty in South China Sea

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Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has approved the third phase of the military's modernization, which includes the purchase of the country's first submarine, in order to defend its maritime sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea.Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Roy Trinidad, said on Thursday the third phase of modernization reflected a shift in strategy away from internal to external defense."We may not be a large navy...but we would have a navy that will take care of our territorial rights and sovereignty…

18 Dec 2023

China to Conduct Sea Trials for Its First Ultra-deepwater Drilling Ship

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China will on Friday conduct sea trials for its first ocean research drilling vessel, capable of drilling at depths of more than 10,000 meters (32,800 feet), a key step towards beefing up the country's deep-sea oil and gas exploration capabilities.It is China's first vessel capable of ultra-deepwater research and drilling, Chinese state media reported on Monday. It can travel 15,000 nautical miles (27,780 kilometers) and operate for 120 consecutive days without returning to port.

13 Dec 2023

Why the Indian Ocean Could be China's Achilles' Heel in a Taiwan War

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Every day, nearly 60 fully loaded very large crude-oil carriers sail between the Persian Gulf and Chinese ports, carrying about half of the oil that powers the world's second-largest economy.As the vessels enter the South China Sea, they ply waters increasingly controlled by China's growing military, from the missile batteries and airfields at its bases on disputed islands to its stealthy Type 055 destroyers.But when crossing the Indian Ocean, joined by others headed to China from Africa and Brazil…

10 Dec 2023

Philippines, China Trade Accusations over South China Sea Collision

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The Philippines and China traded accusations on Sunday over a collision of their vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalate.The Philippine coast guard accused China of firing water cannons and ramming resupply vessels and a coast guard ship, causing "serious engine damage" to one, while China's coast guard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce…

08 Dec 2023

OpEd: Shipping Seeks Safe Waters in Era of Deadly Geopolitics

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As tankers, car-carriers and other merchant vessels pass through the Malacca Strait, unlit fishing boats criss-cross the shipping lanes at night, making it one of the most challenging sea areas of the world to transit, even during peacetime.Should a major war ever come to Asia, those challenges could be magnified spectacularly, with hundreds of vessels abruptly leaving the international waters in the middle of the Strait for what they hope might be the relative safety of the national territorial waters of nearby neutral nations.The Strait – between Thailand…

23 Oct 2023

Philippines Says Chinese Coastguard 'Intentionally' Collided with Its Boats

(Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines)

The Philippines on Monday accused Chinese coastguard vessels of "intentionally" colliding with its vessels on a resupply mission in a disputed part of the South China Sea, as ties deteriorated between the Southeast Asian U.S. ally and Beijing.Both sides traded accusations after the latest incident on Sunday, which was the most serious yet in the waters around the disputed Second Thomas shoal, though no one was harmed.China said on Sunday that the Philippine boats "bumped dangerously" with the coastguard vessels and "Chinese fishing vessels" fishing there.On Monday…

18 Oct 2023

Hanwha Ocean Eyes Submarine Exports to Canada, Philippines, Poland - official

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South Korea's Hanwha Ocean has pitched offers to build submarines to Canada, the Philippines, and Poland, a company official said on Wednesday, as the country pushes to become one of the world's top four defense exporters.Canada is studying potential builders for new submarines and has expressed interest in Hanwha Ocean among other foreign rivals, Kim Seung-min, leader of Hanwha Ocean's naval and special ship overseas marketing team, told Reuters in an interview, without naming the competitors."We are now checking on our shoelaces at the start line before the race kicks off…

10 Oct 2023

Near Collision, Tense Encounter as Beijing Flexes Muscles in South China Sea

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The crew of the Philippine coastguard boat watch anxiously as an imposing Chinese vessel draws near and cuts off its path, coming within a metre of collision in a vast stretch of open water in the South China Sea.The captain of the BRP Sindangan shuts off the engine and activates the reverse throttle. China's coastguard issues a warning via megaphone to leave as the Filipino crew watch closely on a radar that shows two vessels side by side."In accordance with international and Philippine national laws we are proceeding…

04 Oct 2023

Philippines Says Marshall Islands-flagged Tanker May Have Been Involved in Deadly Sea Collision

An oil tanker registered under the flag of the Marshall Islands was suspected to have been involved in an 'accidental collision' with a Philippine boat in the South China Sea that killed three fishermen, the Philippine coast guard said on Wednesday.Philippine coast guard spokesperson Armando Balilo said that the incident was under investigation but that coast guard monitoring pointed to the Pacific Anna, registered under the flag of Marshall Islands, as the likely vessel that collided with the fishing boat.The coast guard said in a statement the Philippine boat "failed to detect" the approaching foreign vessel because of poor weather, resulting in a collision that caused the boat to capsize.

26 Sep 2023

Philippines Condemns Chinese 'Floating Barrier' in South China Sea

(Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)

The Philippines on Sunday accused China's coast guard of installing a "floating barrier" in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.Manila's coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources "strongly condemn" China's installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.The barrier blocking fishermen from the shoal was depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities…

21 Sep 2023

U.S. Revives Cold War Submarine Spy Program to Counter China

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On a windswept island 50 miles north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures. Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command.The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island naval base is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans:…

08 Sep 2023

Philippines Condemns Chinese Harassment of Supply Boats to Disputed Atoll

(Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)

The Philippines condemned China's coast guard and "maritime militia" on Friday for what it described as "illegal, aggressive and destabilising" behaviour towards its boats during a routine rotation and resupply mission in the South China Sea.Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said that despite the Chinese actions supplies were delivered on Friday to Philippine troops stationed on a warship that had been deliberately grounded on an uninhabited atoll more than two decades ago to support a sovereignty claim in the disputed Spratly Islands.The Philippines task force for the South China Sea…

05 Sep 2023

Sand Dredging is 'Sterilizing' Ocean Floor, UN Warns

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Around 6 billion tons of marine sand is being dug up each year in a growing practice that a U.N. agency said is unsustainable and can wipe out local marine life irreversibly.Sand is the most exploited natural resource in the world after water but its extraction for use in industries like construction is only loosely governed, prompting the U.N.

27 Aug 2023

China's Behaviour in South China Sea must be Challenged - U.S. Navy Official

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China's "aggressive behaviour" in the South China Sea, including the use of water canon by its coast guard against a Philippine vessel, must be challenged and checked, the commander of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet said on Sunday.Vice Admiral Karl Thomas assured the Philippines of U.S. backing in the face of "shared challenges" in the region, saying: "My forces are out here for a reason."The largest of the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed fleets, the Seventh Fleet, headquartered in Japan…

08 Aug 2023

China, Philippines' Dispute over Grounded Warship Heats Up

China Coast Guard allegedly uses a water cannon against the Philippine Coast Guard vessels, which were escorting a resupply mission for the Philippine troops stationed at the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on August 5, 2023, in this handout photo released on August 6, 2023. (Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)

China again asked the Philippines to tow away a grounded warship - a World War Two-era vessel now used as a military outpost - from a disputed shoal on Tuesday, after Manila rejected Beijing's earlier demand.Tensions have soared between the two neighbours over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pivoting back to the United States, which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China.China's embassy in Manila…

07 Jul 2023

Inside the Subsea Cable Firm Secretly Helping America Take on China

On Feb. 10 last year, the cable ship CS Dependable appeared off the coast of the island of Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean atoll that’s home to a discreet U.S. naval base.Over the next month, the ship’s crew covertly laid an underwater fiber-optic cable to the military base, an operation code-named “Big Wave,” according to four people with direct knowledge of the mission, as well as a Reuters analysis of satellite imagery and ship tracking data.The new super-fast internet link to Diego Garcia, which has not previously been reported, will boost U.S. military readiness in the Indian Ocean, a region where China has expanded its naval influence over the last decade.The CS Dependable is owned by SubCom…

05 Jul 2023

SHI Tests Autonomous Navigation System on Container Ship

Source: LR

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has claimed an industry first with the verification of its autonomous navigation technology on a container ship sailing between South Korea and Taiwan.The company installed its remote autonomous navigation system (SAS) and smart ship system (SVESSEL) on a 15,000 TEU class large container ship built at its Geoje shipyard. Fom June 26 to July 1, the vessel departed from Geoje and passed Jeju Island to Taiwan, demonstrating its autonomous navigation technology by operating about 1…

21 Jun 2023

USS Nimitz Records 350,000th Arrested Landing

U.S. Navy Capt. Craig Sicola, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), front seat, and Cmdr. Luke Edwards, commanding officer of the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, make an arrested landing in an F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-22 marking the 350,000th time the carrier has landed a fixed-wing aircraft on its flight deck. (Source: US Navy)

USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the oldest-serving U.S commissioned aircraft carrier in the world, successfully completed its 350,000th arrested aircraft landing recently while sailing in the South China Sea, a milestone nearly 48 years in the making.Nimitz’s first arrested landing was conducted in 1975, the same year of the ship’s commissioning. Since commissioning, Nimitz has sailed 30 deployments and served in countless operations and missions. It serves as the flagship of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) which is currently on a regularly-scheduled deployment in the U.S.

09 Jun 2023

China's Largest Naval Training Ship Heads for Philippines in 'Friendly' Tour

File photo - ©Tyg728/Wikimedia Commons - CC BY-SA 4.0

China's largest naval training ship sailed for the Philippines on Friday, its last stop of a regional "friendly" tour, amid growing unease over Chinese maritime activities in the South China Sea.The giant training vessel, Qijiguang, bigger than a typical destroyer, left Brunei on Thursday for the Philippines as part of an around 40-day trip which has included stops in Vietnam and Thailand before Brunei.At the end of its trip, Qijiguang and its crew of 476 navy students and officers would have passed through the Yellow Sea…

31 May 2023

Shadow Tanker Fleet Poses New Safety Challenges

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Ongoing and new threats posed by the ripple effects of the Ukraine conflict will create challenges to the shipping sector over the next 12 months and beyond, according to insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE’s (AGCS) Safety & Shipping Review 2023.Every year AGCS analyzes reported shipping losses and casualties involving vessels over 100 gross tons. During 2022, 38 total losses were reported globally, compared with 59 a year earlier. This represents a 65% decline in…

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