Yuan Wang-5 is now heading towards Sanya Port on Hainan Island and mapping Sunda and Lombok Straits for future submarines operations in the Indian Ocean

Chinese spy ship Yuan Wang-5 entered the Indian Ocean Region on December 5 and exited Sahul Banks, in north-west of Australia, on December 12 to track Chinese space activity, a report has claimed.

Yuan Wang-5 is now heading towards Sanya Port on Hainan Island, which has China ballistic missile nuclear submarine base, and is mapping Sunda and Lombok Straits for future submarines operations in the Indian Ocean, Hindustan Times reported.

Earlier this month, reports said that the surveillance vessel had entered the Indian Ocean Region on December 4 through Sunda strait, off Indonesia.

In a similar incident last month, another vessel ‘Yuan Wang 6’ had entered the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) coinciding with a planned Indian missile launch, but the launch was then deferred.

The Yuan Wang-5 spy ship had been used by China and its army to spy on its enemies. The spy ship - which Beijing claims to be a research vessel - earlier this year has been the subject of a diplomatic tussle between New Delhi and Beijing and also involved Sri Lanka.

In August this year, the vessel had docked at China leased Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka and then proceeded south to prospect the same ridge before going back to home port in Shanghai. Yuan Wang-5 is capable of tracking missiles and rockets launched and can itself also help launch missiles.

Though there have been claims that the Chinese activities in the Indian Ocean water is for heavy metals, the motive is to map the ocean bed for nuclear submarine operations using Sunda, Lombok and Ombi-Vetar straits near Australia, the report said.

It added that Chinese submarines will have to surface if they use Malacca Strait, which is the shortest route from the South China Sea to the Bay of Bengal and that is the reason why the spy ship is headed towards Sanya port.

It is also being said that the mapping is being conducted to counter future anti-submarine operations as Australia will be acquiring US built nuclear power conventional armed attack submarines. China is also exploring alternative sea routes to eastern board of Africa and the Middle-East for trade.