Australia Joins U.S. Ships in South China Sea Amid Rising Tension

Rozanna Latiff
Wednesday, April 22, 2020

 An Australian frigate has joined three U.S. warships in the South China Sea near an area where a Chinese vessel is suspected to be exploring for oil, near waters also claimed by Vietnam and Malaysia, officials said on Wednesday.

The warships arrived this week close to where the Chinese government survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 has been operating, which is in turn near where a vessel operated by Malaysia’s Petronas state oil company is conducting exploratory drilling, regional security sources have said.

The U.S. navy said on Tuesday the USS America amphibious assault ship and the USS Bunker Hill, a guided missile cruiser, were operating in the South China Sea.

They were joined by Australia's frigate HMAS Parramatta and a third U.S. vessel, the destroyer USS Barry, as part of a joint exercise, the Australian defense department said.

"During the passage exercises, the ships honed interoperability between Australian and US navies, including replenishment-at-sea, aviation operations, maritime maneuvers and communications drills," it said in a statement to Reuters.

The Haiyang Dizhi 8 was 325 km (202 miles) off the Malaysian coast, within its exclusive economic zone, data from ship-tracking website Marine Traffic showed on Wednesday.

The ship, accompanied by a Chinese coastguard vessel, has been moving in a hash-shaped pattern consistent with a seismic survey for nearly a week, the data showed.

The area is near waters claimed by both Vietnam and Malaysia as well as China.



China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea, within a U-shaped "nine-dash line" on its maps, which is not recognized by its neighbors.

Petronas and Malaysia's foreign ministry have not commented on the situation but the United States has called on China to stop its "bullying behavior" in the South China Sea.

China, however, has denied reports of a standoff, saying the Haiyang Dizhi 8 was conducting normal activities.

Last year, Vietnamese vessels spent months shadowing the Haiyang Dizhi 8.

It appeared off Vietnam again last week, within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone. Vietnam said it was closely monitoring the situation.

The United States has accused China of pushing its presence in the South China Sea while other claimants are pre-occupied with the coronavirus.

At the same time, China has been donating medical aid to Southeast Asian countries to help them tackle the virus, which emerged in central China late last year.

A team of Chinese medical experts arrived this week in Malaysia, which has reported more than 5,400 coronavirus infections.

On Sunday, Vietnam protested after China said it had established two administrative districts on the Paracel and Spratly islands in the disputed waters. China has called Vietnam's claims illegal.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff Editing by Robert Birsel)

Categories: Offshore Navy Maritime Safety Geoscience Asia China Safety & Security Seismic Malaysia Vietnam South China Sea

Related Stories

Aker Solutions, PTAS JV Hooks Brownfield Services Extension off Brunei

Fugro Lands Deepwater Gas Field Job in Southeast Asia

Keyfield Ventures into Indonesia’s Oil and Gas Market with New Partner

Mubadala Energy Open to Sell Andaman Gas for Domestic Use

Turkey Discovers New Black Sea Gas Reserve

Indonesia Grants Approval to Kuwaiti Firm for Anambas Block in Natuna Sea

ADNOC’s XRG Partners Up with Petronas for Offshore Gas Block in Caspian Sea

Sapura Energy Nets $22.6M in Offshore Support Vessel Contracts

ADNOC Secures LNG Supply Deal with India's BPCL

Japan's Mitsui Eyes Alaska LNG Project

Current News

MODEC, Carbon Clean to Advance FPSO-Mounted Carbon Capture Tech

Aker Solutions, PTAS JV Hooks Brownfield Services Extension off Brunei

CDWE Wraps Up Pin Pile Installation Job for Taiwanese Offshore Wind Farm

BP Expands Oil and Gas Scope in Azerbaijan with New Projects and Exploration Rights

Azeri SOCAR Plans New Agreements with Oil and Gas Majors

TPAO, SOCAR and BP to Ink Caspian Sea Oil and Gas Production Deal

Fugro Lands Deepwater Gas Field Job in Southeast Asia

OMV Exits Ghasha Gas Project off UAE with Lukoil Stake Sale

China's Sinopec Laucnhes $690M Hydrogen Venture Capital Funds

CIP, ACEN Partner Up for First Large-Scale Offshore Wind Farm in Philippines

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com