A Chinese marine research vessel, heading toward the Maldives, was stopped by the Indonesian Coast Guard while traveling through the country's waters with its automated information system (IAS) or transponder turned off.
The US Naval Institute reported that the Chinese government vessel "XIANG YANG HONG 03" was stopped by the Indonesian Coast Guard on January 11 in the Sunda Strait area.
The institute, citing Indonesian officials, reported that the crew on the vessel denied turning off the transponder and claimed that it was broken. Indonesian authorities stopped the vessel after the transponder was turned off three times between January 8 and 12.
The Asia Times reported that the Indonesian Coast Guard did not attempt to board the Chinese vessel, but it has now been told to leave the country's EEZ.
International maritime law requires all vessels navigating the “archipelagic sea lanes” in Indonesian waters to have a working AIS. Marine research in the area is prohibited.
Sites that track marine traffic showed the vessel's location on January 22 in the Java Sea. The vessel's present location is unknown.
The vessel, which is about 100 meters long, was added to the fleet of China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) in 2016. This is the only 4,500-ton vessel currently in China.
Since 2019, China has also been using the vessel to conduct "distant water" and "deep sea" surveys at China's Pilot Ocean Laboratory.
The vessel can also be used for studies on salinity, microbial genetic studies, underwater mineral exploration and underwater life and environmental studies.
A Chinese survey vessel is headed towards Maldives at a time when President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu signed 20 agreements with the Chinese government during his state visit to the country earlier this month.
However, neither government has disclosed the details of the agreements.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the vessel is visiting Maldives for "rotation of personnel and replenishment" and said it would not conduct any research in Maldivian waters.
