Indonesia has deployed a warship to its North Natuna Sea to monitor a Chinese coast guard vessel that has been active in the gas-rich maritime area, the country’s naval chief said on Saturday of an area that both countries claim as their own.
A Chinese ship has been meddling with Harbour Energy’s ongoing drilling campaign at its Tuna block in the Natuna Sea offshore Indonesia. Significantly, the appraisal drilling is funded by Russia’s state-backed Zarubezhneft and the incident underscores the fact that Moscow’s energy interests in the South China Sea are increasingly being threatened by China.
