Philippine Ship in Standoff With China Leaves Flashpoint Reef

The Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Teresa Magbanua sailed back to port on Sunday after more than months of deployment to Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea. Image via Frances Mangosing/Inquirer.

A Philippine vessel that spent months anchored at a disputed reef in the South China Sea has left the area, the national maritime council said Sunday.

The Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Teresa Magbanua had been anchored inside the Sabina Shoal since April to assert Manila’s claims to the area and prevent China from seizing it.

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