The U.S. Coast Guard is actively engaged in Arctic defense, monitoring and dealing with potential national security threats posed by Chinese ships. Last summer, the Coast Guard chased away Chinese vessels.

This week, a USCG Arctic cutter crew monitored two Chinese research ships that entered U.S. waters. The Chinese-flagged Xue Long transited north through the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and over the U.S. extended continental shelf in the Bering Sea with a declared destination of the Arctic. The Xue Long 2, another China-flagged vessel, also transited to the Arctic, the USCG announced late Friday.

“For the first time this year, Chinese vessels were tracked transiting through the U.S. EEZ and over the U.S. extended continental shelf (continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles of shore) in the Bering Sea,” the USCG said. In response, the USCG Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) executed Operation Frontier Sentinel to actively monitor the vessels as they transited north. The cutter’s operation was “designed to protect American sovereign rights, ensure consistency with international law, and position the Coast Guard to rapidly respond to any detected malign activity,” the USCG said.

Foreign vessels are permitted to operate within the U.S. EEZ and through the U.S. extended continental shelf in accordance with international law. Foreign vessels that claim to conduct marine scientific research within these regions require advance permission from the federal government and are required to share information they collect, the USCG said.

In these cases, the USCG crew remained “vigilant to ensure their activities comply with established international law,” the USCG said.

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