The Philippine Navy on Tuesday said a Chinese research vessel equipped with advanced technology designed for marine environment observation was still near Sabina Shoal, more than a week after it left a major Chinese military outpost in the South China Sea. Chinese research vessel Ke Xue San Hao’s “zigzag” movement “indicates something else,” and no longer qualified as innocent passage, Navy spokesman Roy Vincent Trinidad told a news briefing. He added that the Philippine Navy continues to monitor the vessel’s movements because it might be causing environmental damage.

Atienza, K. A. T. (2024, August 7). Chinese research vessel still near Sabina Shoal, says Philippine Navy. BusinessWorld, p. S1/10.