The Chinese “spy ship” ‘Hai Yang Shi You’ was recently spotted off the coast of Paradip in Orissa, 161 nautical miles northeast of the Paradip port. It’s been said that a modern vessel, such as this one weighing around 2,000 tons, was designed and constructed in Tianjin in 2015.
Such vessels were sent to gain insights into the Bay of Bengal’s salinity and depth levels along with two other research vessels.
Last August, another Chinese vessel named ‘Yung Wang 5’ docked at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port was built by China, thus raising tensions between India and the island nation.
Reference: The Economic Times, Times Now