EXPLAINER: Get to know China's 'monster ship'

In June, Philippines authorities monitored the presence of China Coast Guard (CCG) 5901, also known as “The Monster," the largest coast guard ship in the world, in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), CCG 5901 conducted an "intrusive" patrol in Philippine waters from June 17 to 27, passing through 12 features in the WPS.

Its voyage in the WPS started on the same day of the violent incident in Ayungin Shoal involving Chinese and Filipino personnel that resulted in one Filipino navy officer losing his thumb.

But what is "The Monster" and what is it doing in the WPS?

In May 2017, China deployed the 12,000-ton Zhaotou-class patrol cutter CCG Haijing 3901, later renumbered Haijing 5901, to patrol around its claimed “nine-dash line” area in the South China Sea (SCS).

The 165-meter long Chinese vessel, according to The Atlas News, is larger than the size of a United States Navy Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, and is armed with an H/PJ-26 76 mm naval gun, two 30 mm auxiliary guns, and two anti-aircraft guns.

H/PJ-26 76 mm naval gun’s firepower is similar to the Soviet AK-176, according to The Weapons System, a weapons database website. The lethal radius of the anti-aircraft shell is around eight meters, while its maximum effective range is 15.7 kilometers against surface targets. The rate of fire is up to 120 rounds per minute.

CCG 5901 also has a helicopter platform and a hangar that can accommodate big rotary wing aircraft. It can travel up to 25 knots or 46 kilometers per hour and a range of over 19,000 kilometers.

The SCS is a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Aside from the Philippines, China has overlapping claims in the area with Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China does not recognize the decision. —KBK, GMA Integrated News