Chinese Research Vessels Enter U.S. Extended Continental Shelf in Arctic, Coast Guard Monitors with Icebreaker ‘Healy’

Unprecedented levels of Chinese activity continue in the Arctic waters off Alaska.

Two Chinese research vessels – out of a total of five currently operating in the Arctic – entered the American Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) off Alaska prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to dispatch the icebreaker Healy to monitor and query the vessels.

Under International Law of the Sea foreign vessels can pass through the waters of the ECS, but research activity such as scientific studies or mapping of the sea floor, require coastal state consent. 

The U.S. has not ratified the underlying convention, UNCLOS, but asserts its ECS right as part of customary international law. Chinese vessels routinely violate international law in the South China Sea with respect to the Philippines' maritime rights. 

Monitoring two Chinese vessels

On Sunday August 31 ice-class research vessel Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, owned by Sun Yat-sen University since 2021, operated 230 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik.

Two days later on Tuesday, September 2, the country’s newest icebreaking research vessel Jidi also entered the ECS approximately 265 miles northwest of Utqiagvik. Jidi is operated by China’s State Oceanic Administration.

In both instances the USCG icebreaker Healy responded to shadow the vessels likely to ensure they are not conducting unauthorized research or resource activities.

A deliberate strategy

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

“The U.S. Coast Guard’s rapid response and visible patrols demonstrate unwavering resolve to defend America’s Arctic approaches, uphold maritime security, and ensure no foreign power operates unchecked in our waters,” Bouffard concluded.

Further monitoring of the situation came in the form of a fixed-wing HC-130J Hercules out of USCG Air Station Kodiak.

High value

Healy was conducting a joint Arctic Ocean patrol with Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) when it responded to the Chinese research vessels.

“This operation highlights the value of our ice-capable fleet,” said Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander, U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District. 

“The U.S. Coast Guard is controlling, securing, and defending the northern U.S. border and maritime approaches in the Arctic to protect U.S. sovereignty, and Healy’s operations demonstrate the critical need for more Coast Guard icebreakers to achieve that.”