The PLA Navy replenishment ship Qinghaihu was reportedly seen resupplying a China Coast Guard vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal last week.
The manoeuvre highlights growing coordination between China’s naval and coastguard forces amid heightened tensions with the Philippines in the contested South China Sea.
According to a report by Manila-based ABS-CBN news, two Chinese navy warships and four coastguard vessels, as well as several Chinese maritime militia vessels, were monitored by the Philippine Coast Guard near Scarborough Shoal on Friday.
China controls the disputed shoal, which it calls Huangyan Island.
One PLA Navy vessel – a tanker with the bow number 885 – appeared to be conducting a replenishment operation with a coastguard ship, the ABS-CBN report said.
