MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) spotted an unauthorized Chinese dredging ship off the coast of Bataan on Wednesday (Jan. 27).
The dredger-type vessel was found during a maritime security patrol seven nautical miles southwest off Orion Point, Bataan, the PCG said in a statement on Thursday (Jan. 28).
Philippine authorities boarded the ship and discovered that the automatic identification system (AIS) transponder of the vessel was turned off, an indication that it could be hiding its location and identity. The AIS tracks ship locations at sea.
Two Cambodian crew members aboard the ship failed to show documents for dredging or …
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