A Chinese Navy ship tailed the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels en route to Pag-asa Island for a maritime patrol mission and marine scientific research.According to a "24 Oras" report by JP Soriano, the Chinese ship was seen following the Philippine vessels at around 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday as they sailed to the island.According to the PCG, both BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan attempted to contact the ship via radio but received no reply.
The BFAR and marine researchers from the University of the Philippines officially began their joint maritime resource assessment to identify the current state of the Pag-asa Cays following the discovery of dead corals in Sandy Cay Two last year, which were believed to have come from another area.Experts also said that they planned to study whether the dumping of dead and crushed corals at Sandy Cay Two was done on purpose.