Overview

• Satellite tracking showed two Philippine coastguard ships and a fisheries patrol vessel turning around after an encounter with China Coast Guard ship 5304 near Half Moon Shoal.
• The Philippine Navy confirmed sighting a PLAN tugboat about 5 nautical miles south of the grounded BRP Sierra Madre.
• Officials said it would take more than a tugboat to remove the outpost and assessed the tug was likely positioned to assist Chinese vessels that might run aground.
• Manila warned that any attempt to board or tow the BRP Sierra Madre, or the death of a Filipino, would cross a stated red line that could lead to invoking the U.S. Mutual Defence Treaty.
• Philippine monitoring also counted 13 Chinese maritime militia vessels and two China Coast Guard ships in the area as tensions rose ahead of a critical resupply window.