The Philippine Navy on Friday said the two vessels bearing Chinese flag sailing along Sibutu Passage spotted in Tawi-Tawi province were only “invoking innocent passage.”

Navy spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos confirmed that the vessels, with bow numbers 887 and 174 spotted in the area were identified as replenishment tanker Weishanhu and destroyer Hefei respectively,

These are being operated by China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy.

“They were monitored transiting in an internationally recognized Sibutu passage continuously,” Alcos told the DAILY TRIBUNE.

Alcos noted the Naval Forces in the Western Mindanao Command first spotted the vessels yesterday.

“It is not unusual to traverse that particular passage,” he said, adding that there’s nothing to worry.

In the Law of the Sea, the right of innocent passage applies to straits for international navigation.

The law also noted that passage remains innocent and refrains from engaging in certain prohibited activities such as smuggling, spying, weapons testing, and serious pollution among others.