A Chinese coast guard vessel harassed a drilling rig and supply ships off Malaysia’s Sarawak state in the South China Sea and engaged in a standoff with a Malaysian warship last month, according to a Washington-based think tank.

China Coast Guard ship 5402 approached within two nautical miles of the Malaysian oil and gas blocks west of Luconia Shoals on Nov. 19, presumably warning the facilities to stop operations, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative said in a report, citing marine traffic data and satellite imagery.

The Royal Malaysian Navy responded by sending a warship, KD Keris, from Sabah to the rig. The warship stayed near the rig for about a day before tailing the Chinese vessel to Luconia Shoals. The two ships then maneuvered around each other for several days, the think tank said.

The 5402 is a China-made vessel with a displacement of 4,000 tons. Ironically, the 680-ton KD Keris was built by a Chinese shipbuilding company.

Observers in Malaysia said harassment by Chinese vessels in the South China Sea was not a new occurrence. Such incidents remained unknown to many as the Chinese and Malaysian governments choose to downplay them.

The waters off Luconia Shoals saw a standoff between Chinese and Malaysian vessels in 2015. Both countries lay claims to sovereignty of the Luconia Shoals.

Malaysia produces 30 million tons of crude oil, and up to 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year from more than 100 rigs in the South China Sea.

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