Pictures show that Chinese ship waste threatens coral reefs

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Swarms of Chinese ships have dumped human waste and sewage for years into a disputed area in the South China Sea, causing an algal bloom that has destroyed coral reefs and threatened fish in an unfolding disaster, a US expert said Monday.

Satellite images over the past five years show how human waste, sewage and wastewater has accumulated and caused algae to appear in a group of coral reefs in the Spratly area where hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels have docked in batches, said Liz Deere, who heads Simularity Inc. , a software company that creates artificial intelligence techniques to analyze satellite images.

She said in an online Philippine news forum about China’s actions in the South China Sea that at least 236 ships were spotted on the atoll, known internationally as Union Banks, on June 17 alone.

“When the vessels are not moving, the droppings accumulate,” Deere said. “Hundreds of ships anchored in the Spratly are dumping raw sewage onto the reef they occupy.”

Chinese officials did not immediately respond to Deer’s assessment of environmental damage, but have said in the past that they have taken steps to protect fisheries stocks and the environment in the South China Sea. Aside from the Chinese, Vietnamese forces also occupied some of the atoll outcrops in Union Banks, which are also claimed by the Philippines, although not on the vast atoll.

Assistant Secretary of Foreign Affairs Eduardo Menez said in Manila that Philippine authorities will have to assess and validate the findings before deciding whether to lodge a protest against China.

“This is a catastrophe of epic proportions, and we are close to the point of no return,” Der said.

It warned that populations of fish, including migratory tuna, are breeding in the damaged reefs and could cause fish stocks to drop dramatically in a marine area that is a major regional food source.

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Separately, the Chinese military said it chased a US warship from another disputed area in the South China Sea on Monday after Washington warned that an attack on the Philippines could trigger a mutual defense treaty.

Beijing has confirmed its claims to parts of the sea claimed by Southeast Asian governments. He rejected the Biden administration’s announcement on Sunday of a 2016 international court ruling in favor of the Philippines that overturned most of them.

China is becoming increasingly assertive about pressing its territorial claims, which is fueling tensions with its neighbors, including Japan, India, Vietnam and the Philippines.

China’s People’s Liberation Army said it sent ships and aircraft after the aircraft carrier USS Benfold entered the waters claimed by Beijing around the Paracel Islands.

In March, Philippine authorities spotted more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels in Whitsun Reef, at the northeastern tip of Union Banks, and demanded that China withdraw them from the area. China has ignored the request for weeks, while continuing to assert that coral reefs are its territory.

The Philippines argued that the Whitsun Reef is located in an internationally recognized area of ​​water where it has exclusive rights to exploit fisheries, oil, gas, and other marine resources. It cited the 2016 international court ruling that invalidated China’s extensive claims to the waterway on historical grounds and unanimously upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the so-called exclusive economic zone.

A few hundred protesters staged a noisy march on Monday in front of the Chinese Consulate in Manila to mark the fifth anniversary of the ruling, which China ignored and continues to defy. Protesters have criticized President Rodrigo Duterte, who has forged closer ties with Beijing, for refusing to forcefully demand that China comply with the landmark ruling.

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Associated Press reporters Joel Calopitan and Aaron Favela contributed to this report.

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