A US Coast Guard (USCG) ship has made a port call at a major Philippine island facing the South China Sea, where its crew held drills with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to improve interoperability amid tensions in the disputed waterway.
The USCG Cutter Stratton had been docked at the port of Puerto Princesa City in the western province of Palawan since May 16 and was set to leave on Monday, the US Embassy in Manila said in an e-mailed statement.
“During the visit, the US Coast Guard Cutter Stratton crew participated in a series of engagements with the Philippine Coast Guard aimed at strengthening their bilateral partnership and promoting interoperability,” it said. “These activities included technical consultations on operational best practices.”
The USCGC Stratton is a 418-foot cutter operating in the US 7th Fleet area of operations alongside regional allies and partners. The vessel has an unmanned aerial system and small boats that are deployed for various law enforcement and rescue operations.
“This is the sixth USCG cutter exchange with the PCG since 2019 — a testament to the strength of our bond and the enduring value of our alliance,” US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay L. Carson said in the statement.
“These engagements are a priority as they enhance our interoperability and deepen the trust that defines our maritime partnership,” she added.
The Philippines and US would perform maritime law enforcement, search and rescue and marine environmental protection drills in the Sulu Sea before they head to Japan for a trilateral maritime exercise, the US Embassy said.
The PCG first held joint exercises with the US and Japan in June 2023 in the waters off Bataan province near the South China Sea. They conducted search and rescue exercises, maneuvering drills and maritime law enforcement training that year.
PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil L. Gavan earlier told BusinessWorld the Philippines plans to hold joint maritime drills with the US and Japan, as Manila seeks to contest Beijing’s overarching claims in the South China Sea.
The USCG ship deployment in the Pacific comes amid increased Chinese assertiveness in the waterway, a key shipping lane where $3 trillion worth of shipborne trade passes through annually.
China lays sovereignty to nearly the entire South China Sea based on a 1940s nine-dash line map that overlaps with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. It has deployed an armada of vessels despite a United Nations-backed court ruling in 2016 that voided its claim for being illegal.
Like the Philippines, Japan has been embroiled in a dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands, which lies close to key shipping lanes and is believed to be rich in marine resources. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
