Philippine Coast Guard accuses China of AIS spoofing to stir public alarm in Zambales

Notably, AIS spoofing refers to the alteration of AIS data to mislead maritime vessels or monitoring systems.

His remarks came after residents of San Felipe, Zambales raised concerns upon seeing a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel near a dredging site in the area, as detected on a marine tracker local media outlet Inquirer Net reported.

"It is clear that the Chinese Coast Guard is engaging in AIS spoofing to mislead the international community, confuse authorities, and instigate public concern," said Tarriela in a tweet.

Tarriela stated that it is "ironic" that maritime safety is being jeopardised by China's disregard for the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

"Analyzing the 60-day track of CCG-21543, it becomes evident that this vessel could not realistically navigate those routes. They are probably exploiting the AIS signals of other vessels for their spoofing activities," Tarriela said.

He further said, "In the Philippines, it appears that they are using dredgers to enable this AIS manipulation."

After the alarm was raised by residents of San Felipe, Cmdr. Euphraim Jayson Diciano, head of the PCG station in Zambales, reassured the public that all vessels would be closely monitored. He suggested that the detection of the suspected CCG vessel might have been a result of a technical malfunction.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which both the Philippines and China are parties to, research vessels must obtain prior approval before carrying out any activities within another country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is collaborating with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to investigate the nature and purpose of the activities carried out by these vessels. In recent years, Chinese vessels have been reported multiple times in Philippine waters, escalating tensions between the two nations.

The PCG has stated that it will continue to monitor the movements of these vessels and provide updates. However, the DFA has yet to comment on whether it will file a formal diplomatic protest.

The dispute revolves around the South China Sea's strategic and resource-rich waters, claimed in whole or in part by several countries, including China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Tensions between Manila and Beijing have grown significantly due to conflicting territorial claims. China asserts its dominance over nearly the entire sea based on its "nine-dash line," while the Philippines defends its rights to the area based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its EEZ. (ANI)