Malaysian oil exploration vessel leaves South China Sea waters after standoff

By Rozanna Latiff and A. Ananthalakshmi
KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Reuters) - An oil exploration vessel
contracted by Malaysian state energy company Petronas that was
involved in a standoff with a Chinese survey vessel in the South
China Sea left the disputed waters on Tuesday, three security
sources and the vessel operator said.
Petronas has been conducting exploration activities near an
area claimed by Malaysia and Vietnam as well as by China since
late last year. In mid-April, the Haiyang Dizhi 8 - the Chinese
government survey vessel - started operating in the area,
escorted by coast guard and China Maritime Militia vessels.
Three American warships and an Australian frigate conducted
a joint exercise near the site of Petronas' operations amid the
standoff last month.
The West Capella, the vessel contracted by Petronas, left
the waters as it has finished its exploration activities in the
area, the sources said. They did not want to be named as they
were not authorised to speak to the media.
Petronas' contract for the vessel with offshore drilling
company Seadrill SDRL.OL was scheduled to end this month.
Malaysia's foreign ministry and Petronas did not immediately
respond to a request for comment.
Seadrill's communications director Iain Cracknell confirmed
that the West Capella has left the area after completing its
planned work.
The Chinese government vessel, the Haiyang Dizhi 8, was
still in the area - about 371 km (230 miles) offshore Malaysian
Borneo, data from ship tracking website Marine Traffic showed.
The data showed the vessel has been moving within Malaysia's
exclusive economic zone in a hash-shaped pattern consistent with
carrying out a survey, as it did during a tense standoff in
Vietnamese waters last year.
The Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative
(AMTI) has said the China-Malaysia standoff has been going on
for months. China has denied reports of a standoff, saying that the
Haiyang Dizhi 8 was conducting normal activities.
The incident prompted the United States to call on China to
stop its "bullying behaviour" in the disputed waters.
China claims almost all of the energy-rich South China Sea,
also a major trade route each year. The Philippines, Brunei,
Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims.
The United States has also accused China of taking advantage
of the distraction of the coronavirus pandemic to advance its
presence in the South China Sea.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman last month accused U.S.
officials of smearing Beijing.