Seismic Strife: China and Indonesia Clash Over Natuna Survey

The China Coast Guard (CCG) is in its 12^th day facing off against Indonesian law enforcement and naval vessels over oil and gas resources in the northern portion of the latter's continental shelf in the South China Sea. While the Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) has reported multiple times that it succeeded in expelling the CCG, satellite imagery and automatic identification system (AIS) data show that the CCG has returned each time and remains on site.

The tensions center on a seismic survey being conducted by Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina in Natuna D-Alpha, a gas field northeast of the Natuna islands and within the southern edges of China's nine-dash line.

The survey was contracted to the Geo Coral, a survey vessel owned by Norwegian firm Shearwater GeoServices. The Geo Coral began its survey operations on October 5, but it wasn't until October 16 that the CCG 5302 entered Indonesia's continental shelf and began shadowing the survey.

Before it entered Indonesia's continental shelf, the CCG 5302 had spent four weeks patrolling near Malaysian and Vietnamese oil and gas projects, passing near active drilling at Malaysia's Silungun-1 field off Sarawak and making multiple tours through Vietnamese oil and gas projects in blocks 06-01, 12W, and 05-03 near Vanguard Bank, where it was shadowed by Vietnamese fisheries surveillance ships.

The CCG 5302 shadowed the Geo Coral for three days before it was relieved by the CCG 5402 on October 19. Bakamla's KN Tanjung Datu 301 arrived on October 21 and spent the next 24 hours ushering the CCG 5302 across the northern edge of Indonesia's continental shelf, with the two law enforcement ships at one point coming within 500 meters of each other. But almost as soon as the 5402 left, it crossed back into Indonesia's continental shelf and headed back toward the survey area.

The KN Tanjung Datu 301 then headed back to the Riau Islands and was replaced on October 23 by the KN Pulau Dana 323. On October 24, the Indonesian Navy got involved, sending tanker ship KRI Bontang and corvette KRI Sutedi Senoputra, though the latter was not visible on AIS. The KRI Bontang was seen on AIS operating from a distance as the KN Pulau Dana 323 shadowed the CCG 5402 and managed to again get it to leave Indonesia's continental shelf-for a total of 8 hours. The CCG 5402 has remained at the survey location since October 25, continually shadowed by the KN Pulau Dana 323.

A satellite image on October 27 shows Indonesia's KN Pulau Dana 323 and the China Coast Guard 5402 while the Geo Coral continues its survey. An unidentified aircraft is also visible.

This is not the first time Beijing has sent its coast guard to challenge Indonesian oil and gas activity, nor has it been unusual for Indonesia to deploy its navy and maritime law enforcement in defense of those operations more readily than other claimants. But the rapid public release of photos and video of both the CCG's activities and the Indonesian response is novel, and would seem likely to be at least partially inspired by the Philippines' transparency strategy. With new Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto having only assumed office on October 20, it is unclear whether this is an indication of a bolder approach to South China Sea issues under his administration or just an evolution in tactics on the part of Indonesian maritime agencies. But given Beijing's response to Manila's efforts to publicize maritime frictions, it will be worth watching whether Jakarta's new tactics attract a more concerted Chinese effort to display dominance at the southernmost reaches of the nine-dash line.