[ad_1]
KUALA LUMPUR: An oil exploration vessel hired by Petronas, involved in a clash with a Chinese prospecting vessel in the South China Sea, left the disputed waters today, three security sources and the ship’s operator said.
Petronas had been conducting exploration activities near an area claimed by Malaysia and Vietnam, as well as China, since late last year.
In mid-April, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, the Chinese government’s reconnaissance ship, began operating in the area, escorted by the coast guard and ships of the Chinese Maritime Militia.
Three American warships and an Australian frigate conducted a joint exercise near the Petronas operations site amid the fighting last month.
The West Capella, the ship hired by Petronas, left the waters when it finished its exploration activities in the area, the sources said. They did not want to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Petronas’ contract for the vessel with offshore drilling company Seadrill was slated to end this month.
Wisma Putra and Petronas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Seadrill communications director Iain Cracknell confirmed that West Capella had left the area after completing his planned work.
The Chinese government ship, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, was still in the area, 371 km off the coast of Borneo, data from the ship tracking website Marine Traffic showed.
The data showed that the vessel has been moving within Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone in a hash pattern consistent with conducting a survey, as it did during a tense clash in Vietnamese waters last year.
The Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) has said the clash between China and Malaysia has been going on for months.
China has denied reports of a clash, saying that the Haiyang Dizhi 8 was carrying out normal activities.
The incident prompted the United States to ask China to stop its “intimidating behavior” in the disputed waters.
China claims almost the entire energy-rich South China Sea, also an important trade route. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan have overlapping claims.
The United States has also accused China of taking advantage of the distraction of the coronavirus pandemic to advance its presence in the South China Sea.
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry last month accused US officials of defaming Beijing.
False or not? Check out our fast fake news destroyer here.
