USNI News

By Aaron-Matthew Larissa

14 September 2024

Source: https://news.usni.org/2024/09/14/manila-withdraws-coast-guard-flagship-from-sabina-shoal-ais-shows

BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701)

A five-month standoff between Manila and Beijing over a disputed maritime feature in the South China Sea has entered a new phase after the Philippine Coast Guard flagship has withdrawn, according to ship spotters.

Cutter BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) withdrew from the disputed South China Sea maritime feature on Friday and sailed in the Sulu Sea, according to AIS data posted on social media.

The move follows calls from Philippine national security officials that Manila would maintain its presence at Sabina, known to the Philippines as Escoda and by China as Xianbin Jiao, the ship was spotted transiting from the South China Sea into the Sulu Sea today, according to AIS data.

“We are committed to maintaining BRP Teresa Magbanua at Sabina Shoal because we’re monitoring possible reclamation activities,” said National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Jonathan Malaya.

As of this writing, no statements have been released by either Manila or Beijing regarding the movement of the Coast Guard vessel from Sabina. Prior to its departure, the Philippine Coast Guard stated that the vessel was running low on supplies. 

Manila’s previous attempts to resupply Teresa Magbanua with other patrol ships failed due to Chinese forces intercepting and blockading the missions. While an aerial resupply using a small utility helicopter was successfully conducted last month, it is unclear if the amount of supplies delivered was enough to sustain the personnel onboard the Coast Guard flagship.

China has also repeatedly cautioned Manila against conducting further resupply missions, citing concerns about future incidents on the sea and in the air.

Stationed at Sabina since April 16 amid allegations of a Chinese island reclamation project, the Coast Guard flagship maintained a Philippine presence despite an increasing number of People’s Liberation Army Navy, China Coast Guard and China Maritime Militia vessels surrounding the vessel. 

Teresa Magbanua’s mission eventually culminated in a series of incidents in August, which saw Chinese forces harass, ram, water cannon and blockade ships attempting to resupply the vessel or transiting near the shoal. The final incident of August included a ramming of the flagship itself.

Sabina Shoal is 75 nautical miles from the Philippine island of Palawan in the Spratly Island chain and around 50 nautical miles from the military facilities on the Chinese artificial island at Mischief Reef.

China previously constructed a number of articulated islands in the early 2010s, which have since turned into full-fledged air and naval bases for its forces. Beijing justifies these possessions under its Ten-Dash Line claim, which encompasses most of the South China Sea including the majority of the Philippine exclusive economic zone. Roughly a decade later, the Sabina Shoal Standoff echoed these concerns.

Thirty nautical miles to the west, Philippine Marines have maintained a presence at Second Thomas Shoal onboard the rusting BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57), a rusting Second World War-era landing ship tank that Manila beached at the maritime feature in 1999. 

The fall of 2023 saw a series of incidents over the resupply of its Marine garrison, which culminated in June when China Coast Guardsmen and Philippine Navy personnel clashed in the most severe incident to date.