South China Sea

IHO sea area 49 · 102° to 122° E, -3° to 26° N

in force
10
last 12 months
6
since 1993
2,321
categories
13

In force now · 10

  1. HYDROPAC 2249/26 · Surveys2026-08-06
    Survey operations by vessel PXGEO 2 towing eight 5-mile cables continue until 31 December in Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea; wide berth requested.
  2. NAVAREA XI 356/26 · Cable ops2026-08-06
    Seismic survey by vessel PXGEO 2 towing eight 5-mile cables in the southern Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea until 31 December 2026.
  3. HYDROPAC 2099/26 · Cable ops2026-07-21
    Cable operations are underway in the East China Sea by the cableship ILE DE RE until further notice; wide berth requested.
  4. NAVAREA XI 329/26 · Cable ops2026-07-21
    Cable ship Ile de Re is laying submarine cable in the Taiwan Strait until further notice.
  5. HYDROPAC 2412/25 · Wrecks2025-09-19
    Dangerous wreck in South China Sea off Vietnam at 10-22.31N 107-46.96E.
  6. NAVAREA XI 437/25 · Wrecks2025-09-19
    Sunken wreck exists in northern South China Sea at 10-22.31N 107-46.96E.
  7. NAVAREA XI 435/23 · Nav aids2023-12-04
    The Manila NAVTEX station at 14 degrees 30.3 minutes north, 121 degrees 3.9 minutes east is inoperative until further notice.
  8. NAVAREA XI 153/20 · Wrecks2020-04-06
    A yellow observation buoy is reported at 19-20.6N 113-45.9E in the northern South China Sea on 04 Apr.
  9. NAVAREA XI 664/19 · Wrecks2019-11-21
    An oil rig is reported to exist in the southern South China Sea at 07-42.1N 107-55.8E.
  10. NAVAREA XI 132/19 · Wrecks2019-03-07
    An oil rig is reported at 07-47.5N 108-12.0E in the southern South China Sea, and previous warnings are cancelled.

Longest in force

  1. NAVAREA XI 132/19 · Wrecks2019-03-07
    An oil rig is reported at 07-47.5N 108-12.0E in the southern South China Sea, and previous warnings are cancelled.
  2. NAVAREA XI 664/19 · Wrecks2019-11-21
    An oil rig is reported to exist in the southern South China Sea at 07-42.1N 107-55.8E.
  3. NAVAREA XI 153/20 · Wrecks2020-04-06
    A yellow observation buoy is reported at 19-20.6N 113-45.9E in the northern South China Sea on 04 Apr.
  4. NAVAREA XI 435/23 · Nav aids2023-12-04
    The Manila NAVTEX station at 14 degrees 30.3 minutes north, 121 degrees 3.9 minutes east is inoperative until further notice.
  5. NAVAREA XI 437/25 · Wrecks2025-09-19
    Sunken wreck exists in northern South China Sea at 10-22.31N 107-46.96E.

By year

93
98
99
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26

By month (all years)

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

By category · since 1997

Cable ops57025%
Exercises56024%
Other30713%
Derelicts30313%
Wrecks1547%
Piracy1376%
Surveys1356%
Nav aids502%
Missiles492%
Containers352%
Debris131%
Towing70%
Volcanic10%

Archive · 2,311 cancelled

  1. HYDROPAC 93/21 · Wrecks2021-01-09 → 2021-01-09
    F/V py 96977 ts sank in 11-55N 113-50E at 090135Z jan
  2. HYDROPAC 3885/20 · Derelicts2020-12-31 → 2020-12-31
    M/V adrift in vicinity 09-59.24N 107-54.48E at 310230Z dec
  3. HYDROPAC 3841/20 · Derelicts2020-12-26 → 2020-12-29
    Derelict vessel dong yang, blue and white hull, adrift in 07-20N 110-37E at 250518Z
  4. HYDROPAC 3836/20 · Derelicts2020-12-25 → 2020-12-28
    Derelict vessel dong yang, blue hull, reported adrift in vicinity 07-20.1N 110-37.7E at 250518Z dec
  5. HYDROPAC 3812/20 · Derelicts2020-12-23 → 2020-12-26
    Derelict vessel dong yang, blue hull, reported adrift in vicinity 07-08N 110-58E at 222312Z dec
  6. HYDROPAC 3788/20 · Derelicts2020-12-21 → 2020-12-22
    F/V qng 96317 ts disabled and adrift in 09-37N 108-48E at 211700Z dec
  7. HYDROPAC 3768/20 · Missiles2020-12-21 → 2020-12-22
    Hazardous operations, rocket launching 220400Z to 220700Z dec in areas bound by a. 10-18-34N 109-54-01E,…
  8. HYDROPAC 3701/20 · Missiles2020-12-15 → 2020-12-20
    Hazardous operations, rocket launching 200400Z to 200700Z dec in areas bound by a. 10-18-34N 109-54-01E,…
  9. HYDROPAC 3611/20 · Other2020-12-06 → 2020-12-06
    F/V dna 90760 ts reports unconscious crewman requiring medical assistance in 16-44N 108-15E at 061425Z dec
  10. HYDROPAC 3478/20 · Derelicts2020-11-24 → 2020-11-27
    Derelict M/V hyun jin, 65 meters long adrift in vicinity of 18-53.6N 115-02.1E at 240920Z nov
  11. HYDROPAC 3470/20 · Exercises2020-11-24 → 2020-11-28
    Gunnery exercises in progress until 27 nov in area bound by 14-21-00N 120-09-20E, 14-21-00N 119-59-00E,…
  12. HYDROPAC 3395/20 · Cable ops2020-11-20 → 2020-12-01
    Cable operations in progress until 30 nov by cableship ile de re in vicinity of trackline joining 05-41.0N…
  13. HYDROPAC 3353/20 · Cable ops2020-11-14 → 2020-11-20
    Cable operations in progress until 25 nov by cableship ile de re in vicinity of trackline joining 05-41.0N…
  14. HYDROPAC 3331/20 · Exercises2020-11-12 → 2020-11-12
    Hazardous operations 170400Z to 171000Z nov, alternate 0400Z to 1000Z daily 18 and 19 nov in areas bound by:…
  15. NAVAREA XII 509/20 · Exercises2020-11-12 → 2020-11-12
    Hazardous operations 170400Z to 171000Z nov, alternate 0400Z to 1000Z daily 18 and 19 nov in areas bound by:…
  16. HYDROPAC 3197/20 · Cable ops2020-10-30 → 2020-11-11
    Cable operations 31 oct thru 10 nov by c/s lodbrog in area bound by 21-04.1N 114-21.0E 21-04.2N 114-22.1E…
  17. HYDROPAC 3117/20 · Containers2020-10-24 → 2020-10-27
    Containers adrift at 240222Z oct in 20-34.2N 117-05.7E
  18. HYDROPAC 3086/20 · Cable ops2020-10-22 → 2020-11-02
    Cable operations in progress until 01 nov by cableship ile de re in vicinity of trackline joining 05-41.0N…
  19. HYDROPAC 3065/20 · Other2020-10-21 → 2020-10-27
    M/V abandoning ship in 11-11N 111-11E at 202123Z oct
  20. HYDROPAC 2991/20 · Cable ops2020-10-14 → 2020-12-19
    Cable operations in progress until 11 jan 21 by cableship resolute in vicinity of tracklines joining: a.…

Sea boundaries: Flanders Marine Institute (2018), IHO Sea Areas v3, marineregions.org (CC BY 4.0). Not for navigation — follow official NAVAREA / coastal broadcasts.