UNITED STATES-BASED maritime watchdog SeaLight raised fresh concerns over the identity and registration of China-linked dredging vessels operating in Manila Bay, as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) pressed ahead with an inspection of their dredging operations and intensified the search for a missing fisherman off Zambales.
SeaLight said two dredgers — the Bucao Star and Aurora 168 — had drawn scrutiny over what it described as overlapping and inconsistent vessel identities, prompting calls for closer regulatory and security review as authorities examine environmental compliance and maritime safety in Manila Bay.
According to SeaLight, the Bucao Star first appeared in Manila Bay off Bataan on Oct. 29, 2022, flying the flag of Sierra Leone, with no publicly documented record of a voyage from China to the Philippines. Shortly after its arrival, the vessel began regular dredging runs along the Zambales coastline, including operations at the Bucao River.
The group said International Maritime Organization (IMO) data showed that the IMO number used by the Bucao Star — 9982926 — remained registered to a different ship, Guang Zhou Star. IMO records indicated that Guang Zhou Star was built in August 2022, a timeline SeaLight said aligned with the Bucao Star’s appearance in Philippine waters two months later.
SeaLight further reported that in July 2025, based Elite Marine Construction Corp. applied to import a vessel identified as MV Bucao Star, declaring a gross tonnage that exactly matched the tonnage listed for Guang Zhou Star in IMO records — an overlap the group said reinforced the likelihood that both names referred to the same vessel operating under different identities.
On Nov. 15, 2025, the Bucao Star was observed flying the Philippine flag for the first time and immediately departing for dredging work. However, SeaLight said the vessel continued to transmit its Sierra Leone identity via the Automatic Identification System, a situation that persisted as of Friday.
The watchdog said similar concerns applied to another Manila Bay dredger it had previously tracked, the Kang Ling 539, which SeaLight director Ray Powell said had broadcast at least 30 different identities since arriving from China in August 2023.
Powell’s investigation traced the vessel’s origins to China, where it was launched in August 2019 as He Xing 669 under IMO number 1023619. Despite multiple name and flag changes — spanning Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Príncipe, Panama, the Philippines and unidentified flags — SeaLight said the ship’s original Chinese registration remained active.
“These overlapping identities warrant careful scrutiny, especially as the PCG inspects dredging vessels amid concerns over environmental damage and regulatory compliance in Manila Bay,” SeaLight said.
The PCG inspections unfolded against a broader maritime security backdrop in the West Philippine Sea, as the coast guard simultaneously continued search-and-rescue operations for a fisherman reported missing off Subic, Zambales.
The missing fisherman was aboard the Jonamae, a 5.81-meter fishing boat with a sky-blue hull and registration number ZAM-014-2618. The PCG issued a Notice to Mariners calling on transiting vessels to remain alert and report any sightings.
Despite adverse weather, SAR operations continued from Jan. 8. On Jan. 9, the PCG vessel BRP Cape San Agustin (MRRV-4408) challenged a People’s Liberation Army Navy corvette, bow number 627, about 42 nautical miles off Capones Island, Zambales. The ship was identified as a Type 056A (Jiangdao II-class) corvette, a roughly 1,500-ton vessel optimized for anti-submarine warfare.
Later that afternoon, the PCG also confronted China Coast Guard cutter 3106 about 73 nautical miles off Capones Island. The Zhaotim-class cutter displaces about 1,764 tons and is armed with a 76-mm naval gun, 30-mm close-in weapon systems, heavy machine guns, water cannons and a helicopter deck capable of supporting medium helicopters such as the Z-9.
PCG officials said the presence of the Chinese vessels was unauthorized but stressed that operations to protect Filipino fishermen would continue.
“Despite the size of the PCG vessels, our professional crew would always be willing to sacrifice their comfort and safety so that the Filipino fishermen are safe and secured,” PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan said.
The PCG urged all vessels operating in the area to immediately relay any information on the Jonamae to the nearest coast guard station, as inspections of dredging vessels in Manila Bay continued alongside heightened maritime vigilance off Zambales.