China to base rescue ship in disputed area of South China Sea, boosting civilian presence – and territorial claims
Ship carrying drones and underwater robots to be deployed in Spratly Islands later this year, state media reports
China is planning to base an advanced rescue ship in the South China Sea, where authorities are bolstering territorial claims by developing a civilian presence – including tourism.
The rescue ship, which will carry drones and underwater robots, is to be deployed in the second half of the year in the disputed Spratly Islands, according to the ship’s political commissar Chen Xingguang.
The vessel will be part of the South China Sea Rescue Bureau at the Ministry of Transport, the official newspaper China Daily reported on Monday.
Officials did not specify on which island the ship would be based, but said it would enable rescue forces to help fishing boats in trouble and shorten the distance they needed to travel.
In April, a military aircraft landed on Fiery Cross Reef, one of China’s man-made islands in the Spratlys, to evacuate three critically ill construction workers.
