For the first time this year, the U.S. Coast Guard tracked Chinese vessels traveling through a section of international waters in the Bering Sea.
The Coast Guard said in a statement Friday that they monitored the Xue Long, a Chinese research ship last week moving through the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, an area up to about 200 nautical miles offshore where the U.S. has jurisdiction over natural resources.
The boat was traveling over the American Continental Shelf in the Bering Sea headed for the Arctic and another China-flagged research vessel, the Xue Long 2, according to the agency.
Foreign ships are allowed to transit through the area but would need prior permission from the U.S. to conduct marine science research and would be required to share information collected.
The Coast Guard Cutter Munro monitored the two research ships as they continued north as part of Operation Frontier Sentinel, making sure they followed international regulations.
The military has seen increased foreign activity in the Arctic recently and expects that to continue this summer.
