China on July 11 sent six military ships to the site where its rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 is illegally standing inside Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, according to the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Department.

The department’s representatives said between 103-110 Chinese ships of all kinds operated in the waters around the rig throughout the day. They lined up and moved close to Vietnamese ships to prevent them from getting near the rig.

However, Vietnamese fisheries surveillance and coast guard vessels braved the harassment to stay at the site and conduct their law enforcement mission.

They also helped protected the safety of Vietnamese fishing boats, which continued fishing in their traditional grounds, about 42-45 nautical miles from the rig, despite the disturbance by more than 20 Chinese fishing ships, supported by two coast guard vessels and two cargo ships.

At the beginning of May 2014, China illegally dispatched the rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 as well as a large fleet of armed vessels, military ships and aircraft to Vietnam’s waters and positioned the rig at 15 degrees 29 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 12 minutes 06 seconds east longitude. The location is 80 miles deep into Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

Despite Vietnam’s protest, China expanded its scale of operation and moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east longitude, 60 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

On May 26, Chinese ship 11209 sank a Vietnamese fishing vessel that was operating normally in its traditional fishing ground near Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.-VNA