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Philippine Coast Guard "Chases Off" Unauthorized Chinese Research Operation

PCG
Jia Hai Ke 7 from the bridge of BRP Teresa Magbanua (PCG)

Published Oct 1, 2026 11:37 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Philippine Coast Guard reported Monday that it had "disrupted" and chased off a Chinese vessel that was conducting unauthorized research within the Philippine EEZ, a breach of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The vessel in question, Jia Hai Ke 7 (or Jiahai Ke 7), was spotted loitering northwest of Itbayat in the Strait of Luzon on September 28, the PCG said. The area is strategic, providing a key passage from the open Pacific into the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and it is home to telecom cables connecting the Philippines with Taiwan. AIS data provided by Pole Star Global appears to confirm Jia Hai Ke 7's voyage to the area from mainland China. 

On Thursday morning, the Philippine vessels BRP Teresa Magbanua and PCG Islander 251 were dispatched to intercept the Chinese research vessel and "drive" it out of the Philippine EEZ. After "sustained pressure" from the two Philippine vessels, the Jia Hai Ke 7 left its "loitering position" and withdrew, the PCG said. The pressure tactics included an approach to within 50 yards, a rare example of Philippine ships employing  assertive maneuvering against a Chinese vessel - a tactic often used by the China Coast Guard against Philippine vessels in regional maritime disputes. 

AIS data shows that it has not left the area entirely, and the PCG confirmed that BRP Teresa Magbanua continues to shadow Jia Hai Ke 7. A China Coast Guard cutter has escorted the survey vessel throughout and has attempted to fend off the Magbanua's close approaches, the PCG said.  

Jia Hai Ke 7 does not broadcast an IMO number or appear in international registry databases. Chinese media sources report that it is privately owned, DP2 equipped, and less than two years old. It is fitted out as a "comprehensive survey vessel," its state-owned builder told Chinese outlet iMarine last year.