China deployed the world's largest Coast Guard ship known as "The Monster" to patrol the waters off Scarborough Shoal, a Philippine Navy official said Friday.

Philippine Navy spokesman for West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said it monitored the entry of China Coast Guard with bow number 5901 in the vicinity of waters off Scarborough Shoal.

"Yes, it is 50 nautical miles from Scarborough Shoal, from Bajo de Masinloc," he said. This was its location as of Friday morning, he added.

In his X (Twitter) account, retired US Air Force Col. Ray Powell of the Gordian Knot Center said the big China vessel measures 165 meters. It was accompanied by a 102-meter Chinese Coast Guard ship with bow number 5203.

Powell noted that China conducts "intrusive patrols deep within the exclusive economic zones of neighboring countries...to establish a continuous presence and gradually normalize Chinese jurisdiction over areas granted to its neighbors under international law." Robina Asido/DMS