China's oil rig moving to Hainan: Coast Guard command

Observations from the coast guards have shown that the rig and the fleet of escort ships were moving at a speed of 4-4.2 nautical miles per hour in the direction of 330 degrees north - northwest.

China mobilised nearly 60 ships of various kinds to escort the rig, forming a V shape in close proximity.

At 6:20am on July 16, it was 41 nautical miles from its previous position, about 163 nautical miles southwest of Hainan island.

The Vietnamese law enforcement forces are closely watching their movement.

In early May, China illegally dispatched the rig as well as a large fleet of armed vessels, military ships and aircraft to Vietnam's waters and positioned the rig 80 miles deep into Vietnam's continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

It later expanded the scale of operation and moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east longitude, 60 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam's waters.

(Source: Nhandan Online)