US coast guard monitors Chinese research vessels in Arctic waters off Alaska

Unprecedented Chinese activity continues in Arctic waters off Alaska, with two Chinese research vessels entering the American Extended Continental Shelf (ECS). In response, the US Coast Guard dispatched the icebreaker Healy to monitor the ships and ensure they are not conducting unauthorised research.

Under international law, foreign vessels may pass through ECS waters, but conducting research requires coastal state consent. While the US has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), it asserts ECS rights under customary international law, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

On August 31, the ice-class research vessel Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, operated by Sun Yat-sen University, was detected 230 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik. Two days later, China’s newest icebreaking research vessel, Jidi, operated by the State Oceanic Administration, entered the ECS approximately 265 miles northwest of Utqiagvik.

“China’s deployment of so-called research vessels into the US Arctic is not benign science—it is part of a deliberate strategy to project power, gather intelligence, and challenge American sovereignty in the US Arctic,” said Troy Bouffard, Director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The US Coast Guard’s response included shadowing the vessels with Healy, supported by fixed-wing HC-130J Hercules aircraft from Air Station Kodiak.

“This operation highlights the value of our ice-capable fleet,” said Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander, US Coast Guard Arctic District. “The US Coast Guard is controlling, securing, and defending the northern US border and maritime approaches in the Arctic to protect US sovereignty, and Healy’s operations demonstrate the critical need for more Coast Guard icebreakers to achieve that.”

By Sabina Mammadli