China is stationing a search and rescue ship on its man-made island on Philippine-claimed Zamora Reef in the Spratly archipelago, in a “gray zone tactic” to assert its ownership of the disputed feature in the South China Sea. In a report earlier this week, state-run China Daily said the Nanhai Rescue Bureau of the Ministry of Transport dispatched the ship Nan Hai Jiu 115 from Hainan, China’s southernmost island, to Zamora Reef on Friday. The ship was expected to reach Zamora—internationally known as Subi Reef—on Monday, the report said.

Mangosing, F. G., Avendaño, C. O., & Pazzibugan, D. Z. (2018, August 3). Beijing permanently stations rescue ship in spartlys. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A6.