Sabina Shoal, or locally known as Escoda Shoal, is slowly becoming the new flashpoint for the Philippines and China’s maritime conflict as vessels from the two countries came face-to-face in the disputed atoll in recent days. The Philippine Navy (PN) said it has increased its monitoring and patrol in the atoll located 75 nautical miles or 140 kilometers from mainland Palawan after the presence of China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel with bow number “5901”, dubbed as the “monster” as it is regarded as the biggest coast guard vessel in the world.

Sadongdong, M. (2024, August 8). PH, Chinese vessels come face-to-face in Sabina Shoal. Manila Bulletin, p. 3.