The Philippine Coast Guard said on Tuesday that Filipino fishermen had discovered another underwater drone of Chinese origin while fishing in waters near Palawan last week.
“We commend the quick action of the local fishermen for reporting this find,” the Philippine Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan, said in a statement posted on X on September 30.
The Philippine Coast Guard said the fishermen had found an “approximately 12-foot-long device” on September 28. The fishermen turned over the device to the Philippine Coast Guard that evening for further checks and investigations.
Preliminary checks showed that the device had a “compact probe designed to measure seawater salinity, temperature, and depth,” the statement said. Such sensors are used for oceanographic profiling, it added.
The Philippine Coast Guard said the sensor was labeled in Chinese and its “rugged metal frame” was “typical of components in autonomous underwater vehicles commonly known as ‘underwater drones.'”
Similar underwater drones had been recovered by the Philippine Coast Guard since July 2022, the statement said.
“At least three of those prior recoveries have been linked to Chinese deployment, based on evidence such as China Telecom SIM cards, iridium transceivers connected to Beijing-based HWA Create (a defense contractor), and battery packs marked by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation,” the statement said.
China’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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Filipino fishermen have encountered Chinese drones on previous occasions.
In January, the Philippines National Police said fishermen found a Chinese underwater drone six miles off the coast of a small island in the Masbate province.
These discoveries come amid high tensions between China and the Philippines. Both countries hold competing sovereignty claims over the South China Sea, an important shipping route that holds major oil and gas reserves.
In August, a Chinese navy warship and a China Coast Guard cutter collided while chasing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in the South China Sea. Both Chinese vessels suffered significant damage to their hulls.
Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, said in a statement on the incident that the Coast Guard has “consistently urged” China to adhere to international regulations on collision prevention and to “approach these matters with professionalism.”
“We have also emphasized that such reckless behavior at sea could ultimately lead to accidents,” Tarriela added.
