The ship began its survey operations after passing by China's military base at Mischief Reef on 26 July, and has traveled through the area around a host of submerged features south and east of Sabina Shoal, including First Thomas Shoal, Half Moon Shoal, Bombay Shoal, Royal Captain Shoal, Northeast Investigator Shoal and Boxall Reef. 

The satellite photo at the top of the page, captured on 29 July by Planet Labs and delivered by SeaLight's imagery partner SkyFi, shows the ship passing within 600 meters of First Thomas Shoal, which is about 35 kilometers south of its more well-known cousin Second Thomas Shoal--home of the Philippines' hotly contested outpost aboard the BRP Sierra Madre.

The Ke Xue San Hao left Sanya port at Hainan Island on 19 July, just two days before the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs first announced it had concluded a deal with Beijing to resume resupply missions at Second Thomas Shoal. In sending the survey ship to within 40 nautical miles of the coast Palawan, China may be signaling its intent to keep the pressure on elsewhere in the West Philippine Sea despite loosening its blockade of the Philippine outpost.

This is the first recorded appearance of the Ke Xue San Hao in Philippine waters since May 2020, when it explored an area 60 nautical miles east of northern Luzon over a four-day period.

(*Note: A typo was corrected in the previous survey data above--the survey took place in 2020, not 2000 as originally posted.)

EVENING UPDATE: Philippine Coast Guard spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela has just posted additional tracking information and video of the Ke Xue San Hao: