Chile on alert after spotting Chinese boats near Arica y Parinacota region of Pacific

Chile’s naval command forces on December 4 were put on alert after trawlers from Chinese fleet suspected of illegal fishing were spotted by patrollers in Arica y Parinacota region near Chile’s exclusive ecomic zone (EEZ) in Pacific. Chile’s navy has routinely detected Chinese-flagged fishing vessels scrounging for hydrobiological resources at height Coronel, across squid fishing sectors via satellite imry.  According to sources of Bio Bio’s local news outlet ncy One, Chinese vessels navigated within 200 miles of EEZ that had horse mackerel in abundance. Post a detailed inspection operation done in co-ordination with an Immediate Response Group, Chilean navy intercepted Chinese vessels' maeuvres via joint overflight, coordinated between Chilean Navy and National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca), Directorate of Communications from Navy said in a statement. 

Chile’s OPV “Piloto Pardo”, an Air Maritime Exploration Plane and a Dauphin Helicopter, earlier, had scrambled into an operation after reports of Chinese fishing fleet trawl off Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands emerged. Ecuadorian Navy issued a warning that a foreign fishing fleet of about 260 vessels was stationed just outside Ecuador’s exclusive ecomic zone (EEZ) were sailing southward into Peruvian waters, approaching Chile’s exclusive ecomic zone. Chinese flagged vessels had deactivated its satellite-based automatic identification systems (AIS) as it encroached Chilean maritime boundaries to trespass into South American ‘squid circuit’ along strait of Mllan. 

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[Naval Helicopter “Cougar” on flight deck of one of Chile's frigates of National Squadron. Credit: Armada de Chile]

[Chilean vessel at Mllan Strait Crossing.Credit: Armada de Chile]

South American quartet Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru joined forces last month in a bid to combat Chinese fleet’s illegal activities in sovereign waters. In a joint statement, four-nation threatened measures to “to prevent, discour and jointly confront” Chinese flagged vessels. quartet added that it would boost “cooperation and real-time exchange of information” to detect threats from vessel fleet that were difficult to locate as half of m had turned tracking systems off. Chinese fleet skirted edge of EEZ using overhead lights and industrial jigging machines to carry out 73,000-hour fishing streak “going dark at sea” for up to 17 days at a time, according to HawkEye 360’s investigation of vessels. 

'Belligerent and expansionist' nda

To combat illegal fishing threats from Chinese vessels in Pacific, US had strategically homeported  enhanced Quick Response Cutters to expand  presence of United States Coast Guard (USCG) in maritime region of western Pacific Ocean. US alleged China Communist Party (CCP’s) “unlawful, unreported, and unregulated fishing and harassment of vessels”. US National Security Advisor, Robert C O’Brien reprimanded China’s belligerence and expansionist nda in Pacific territorial waters. O'Brien told White House briefing that US vessels will be deployed in American Samoa to malign CCP’s actions threatening sovereignty of its Pacific neighbours, and endangering regional stability.

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(Im Credit: Twitter/Armada de Chile)