USCG Arctic District responds to Chinese research vessel Xue Long 2

A Coast Guard C-130J Hercules aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak detects and responds to the China-flagged research ship Xue Long 2 on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) in the U.S. Arctic, [USCG photograph]

The U.S. Coast Guard reports that this past Friday it detected and responded to the China-flagged research ship Xue Long 2 on the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) in the U.S. Arctic, approximately 290 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska=.

A Coast Guard C-130J Hercules fixed wing aircraft from Air Station Kodiak responded to the Xue Long 2, an icebreaker operated by the Polar Research Institute of China and 130 nautical miles inside the ECS boundary.

The U.S. has exclusive rights to conserve and manage the living and non-living resources of its ECS.

“The U.S. Coast Guard, alongside partners and other agencies, vigilantly monitors and responds to foreign government vessel activity in and near U.S. waters to secure territorial integrity and defend sovereign interests against malign state activity,” said Rear Adm. Bob Little, Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District.

The C-130J aircraft was operating under Coast Guard Arctic District’s Operation Frontier Sentinel, which is designed to meet presence with presence in response to adversary activity in or near Alaskan waters.

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