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Five Chinese vessels shadowed and aggressively maneuvered close to the USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea March 8, a senior Pentagon official said March 9. The U.S. oceanographic ship was 70 miles south of Hainan Island con- ducting routine operations in inter- national waters when the ships approached, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. "We view these as unprofessional maneuvers by the Chinese vessels and violations under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful users of the ocean," Whitman said. A civilian crew mans the ship, which operates under the auspices of the Military Sealift Command. The incident began as the ships sur- rounded the Impeccable and two craft closed to within 50 feet, Whitman said. The Chinese ships included a Chinese navy intelligence collection ship, a Bureau of Maritime Fisheries patrol vessel, a State Oceanographic Administration patrol vessel and two small Chinese- flagged trawlers. Crewmen aboard the Impeccable used fire hoses to spray one of the ves- sels as a protective measure. The Chinese crewmembers disrobed to their underwear and continued clos- ing to within 25 feet. The Chinese vessels dropped pieces of wood in the water directly in the Impeccable's path, and two of the ships stopped directly in the U.S. ves- sel's path, forcing it to stop. Whitman said the Chinese used poles in an attempt to snag the Impeccable's towed acoustic array sonars. Impeccable's master used bridge-to-bridge radio circuits to inform the Chinese ships in a friend- ly manner that it was leaving the area and requested a safe path to navigate. "These are dangerous close maneu- vers that these vessels engaged in," Whitman said. The incident was the culmination of earlier harassment. A Chinese patrol vessel shined a high-intensity www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 13 U.S. Claims Chinese Harass Oceanographic Ship MTR#3 (1-17).qxd 3/27/2009 1:48 PM Page 15
