Current:Home > NewsMultiple Chinese warships spotted near Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard says-LoTradeCoin
Multiple Chinese warships spotted near Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard says
View Date:2024-12-24 00:09:21
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! (192)
Related
- John Krasinski Revealed as People's Sexiest Man Alive 2024
- Historian Yuval Noah Harari warns of dictatorship in Israel
- Ditch Your Self-Tanner and Save 64% On Sweat-Proof Tarte Bronzer That Lasts All Day
- John Wick Prequel Series The Continental Trailer Showcases Winston Scott's Rise to Power
- Up to 20 human skulls found in man's discarded bags, home in New Mexico
- In a place with little sea ice, polar bears have found another way to hunt
- Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $280 Crossbody Bag for Just $59
- In a place with little sea ice, polar bears have found another way to hunt
- Oprah Winfrey denies being paid $1M for Kamala Harris rally: 'I was not paid a dime'
- China's Xi Jinping meets old friend Henry Kissinger in Beijing to talk challenges and opportunities
Ranking
- NFL Week 11 picks straight up and against spread: Will Bills hand Chiefs first loss of season?
- The SEC wants companies to disclose how climate change is affecting them
- Last Day To Save Up to 50% On Adidas Shoes, Clothes, and Accessories
- Turkey agrees to Sweden's NATO bid
- Natural gas flares sparked 2 wildfires in North Dakota, state agency says
- Halle Berry Claps Back at Commenter Criticizing Her Nude Photo
- U.S. soldier believed to be in North Korean custody after unauthorized border crossing, officials say
- Former TV meteorologist sweeps the New Mexico GOP primary for governor
Recommendation
-
Karol G addresses backlash to '+57' lyric: 'I still have a lot to learn'
-
Hydrogen may be a climate solution. There's debate over how clean it will truly be
-
See an Iceland volcano erupt for 3rd time in 3 years, sending bursts of lava in the air amid seismic swarm
-
Farmers in Senegal learn to respect a scruffy shrub that gets no respect
-
Auburn surges, while Kansas remains No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
-
Texas and other states want to punish fossil fuel divestment
-
Vanderpump Rules’ Tom Sandoval Says He Broke Up With Ariana Madix Before Cheating Made Headlines
-
Extreme weather in the U.S. cost 688 lives and $145 billion last year, NOAA says