Current:Home > FinanceMultiple Chinese warships spotted near Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard says -×
Multiple Chinese warships spotted near Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard says
View
Date:2025-04-18 04:21:35
Multiple Chinese military ships were spotted by the U.S. Coast Guard in the waters off Alaska, officials said in a news release on Wednesday.
Three vessels were detected about 124 miles north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands, and a fourth ship was spotted about 84 miles north of the state's Amukta Pass. The ships were seen on Saturday and Sunday.
All four ships were in international waters, the Coast Guard said, but were inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from the U.S. shoreline. In these areas, the United States has exclusive rights for exploring and using marine resources.
All four ships "operated in accordance with international rules and norms," according to Rear Admiral Megan Dean, the Coast Guard district commander.
When contacted by the Coast Guard to "ensure there were no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska," the Chinese vessels said that they were in the area for "freedom of navigation operations," Dean said.
The naval presence was tracked by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball, a 418-foot-long national security vessel that has previously conducted joint exercises in the Indo-Pacific region. The cutter is in the area as part of Operation Frontier Sentinel, a Coast Guard exercise "designed to meet presence with presence when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters," according to the agency.
The Kimball monitored all of the Chinese vessels until they left the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, officials said, and the ship will continue to patrol the zone.
Similar incidents have occurred in recent years. In September 2021 and September 2022, Coast Guard cutters in the area encountered Chinese surface action groups, and in August 2023, the U.S. Navy sent four destroyers to the Alaskan coast after 11 Chinese and Russian warships were spotted patrolling in international waters within the Exclusive Economic Zone.
- In:
- China
- Alaska
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
TwitterveryGood! (112)
Related
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- France bans iPhone 12 sales over high radiation-emission levels
- Man accused of killing Purdue University dormitory roommate found fit for trial after hospital stay
- Climate change exacerbates deadly floods worldwide
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Fox names Lawrence Jones as fourth host of its morning ‘Fox & Friends’ franchise
- Man is accused of holding girlfriend captive in university dorm for days
- New England has been roiled by wild weather including a likely tornado. Next up is Hurricane Lee
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- A school shooting in Louisiana left 1 dead, 2 hurt. Classes are canceled until Friday.
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Selena Gomez Reveals Why She Really Looked Concerned During Olivia Rodrigo’s VMAs Performance
- Man is accused of holding girlfriend captive in university dorm for days
- Climate change is un-burying graves. It's an expensive, 'traumatic,' confounding problem.
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- China's weakening economy in two Indicators
- Justice Department pushes ahead with antitrust case against Google, questions ex-employee on deals
- Everleigh LaBrant Reacts to Song Like Taylor Swift Going Viral Amid Online Criticism
Recommendation
Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
On 'GUTS', Olivia Rodrigo is more than the sum of her influences
GOP legislative leaders’ co-chair flap has brought the Ohio Redistricting Commission to a standstill
Savannah Chrisley Is Dating Robert Shiver, Whose Wife Allegedly Attempted to Murder Him
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
Florida Gov. DeSantis recommends against latest COVID booster in ongoing disagreement with FDA, CDC
Man is accused of holding girlfriend captive in university dorm for days
Wisconsin settles state Justice Department pollution allegations against 2 factory farms