The
Philippine Navy (PN) is yet to confirm the presence of two Chinese warships off
Panatag (Scarborough ) Shoal despite an earlier
sighting report by a MH-60 helicopter flying-off the USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)
last week.
"We
are still validating that report and veracity of the information (provided by
the USS Blue Ridge and the US
7th Fleet)," PN Civil-Military Operations head Col. Edgard Arevalo, said.
He
also declined to comment on why the Chinese have resorted sending "gray"
(Navy) ships to disputed areas.
Photos
released by the US 7th Fleet indicated that the Chinese Navy vessels were the
guided missile destroyer Lanzhou (170) and guided missile frigate Hengshui
(572).
Cmdr.
William J. Marks, US
7th Fleet public affairs officer, said the Chinese naval vessels were
photographed on May 5 by a USS Blue Ridge-embarked MH-60 helicopter.
"The
aircraft is part of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12, underway with the
embarked U.S. 7th Fleet
staff aboard Blue Ridge , building
relationships and furthering interoperability with allies and partners in the
Indo-Asia-Pacific," said Marks.
The
7th Fleet spokesman also said the Blue Ridge was in the vicinity of the
Scarborough as part of "routine training and operations" in the South China Sea when the Chinese vessels were spotted.
"It's
not uncommon for 7th Fleet to have ships and aircraft operating simultaneously
in the Yellow Sea, East Sea and South China Sea .
The Blue Ridge flight operations in the photos
are part of our routine presence in international waters, with the goal of
providing security and stability for all maritime nations," Marks
explained.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=642597
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