China has allegedly taken over another disputed atoll in the South China Sea, preventing Filipino fishermen from making a living in the area they consider their traditional fishing grounds, according to Filipino media.

Filipino media sources claim that China has deployed five ships around the disputed Jackson atoll, raising tensions anew among the claimant-countries in the region.

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According to media reports on Wednesday, China began deploying ships to the Quirino Atoll (another name for the Jackson Atoll) after a fishing vessel ran aground in the area.

                                                         Many ships

A local mayor in the Spratly islands has reportedly confirmed the presence of the numerous ships in the vacant Jackson atoll. The ships have allegedly been there for more than a month now.

"They have many ships there," the mayor is quoted as saying.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has said it received reports about the presence of Chinese ships in the area and said it will verify the reports as soon as possible.

                                                       Permanent

Philippine military spokesman Brig. General Restituto Padilla said there have been reports about Chinese ships moving around the Spratly islands as well as near the Second Thomas Shoal. He said Filipino authorities still have to verify if these deployments are 'permanent.'

The Second Thomas Shoal has been under the control of the Philippine Navy since 1999 after a ship got stuck there. The Philippine military has allegedly been reinforcing the ship as a way to bolster its claims to the disputed reef.

In 2011, Filipino fishermen were reportedly fired warning shots by China when they were fishing near the Jackson Atoll.

                                                    Fishing grounds

A Filipino fisherman claims that he and his fellow fishermen were shooed away by Chinese boats when they went to fish in their traditional fishing grounds near the atoll recently.

"These grey and white Chinese ships, around four of them inside the lagoon, prevented us from entering our traditional fishing ground," he said.

China is claiming a vast portion of the South China Sea which is believed to have large deposits of gas and oil.

                                                   Maritime resources

Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines have overlapping claims to the islands and reefs and other maritime resources in the disputed international waterway. Around $5 trillion in maritime trade passes through the waterway every year.

The US has warned China against militarizing the region saying that such a move will have 'serious consequences.'

China has allegedly deployed missile systems and fighter jets to the region reportedly for 'defense purposes.'

Vietnam recently sent a diplomatic note to the Chinese Embassy demanding that Beijing halt its repeated violations of Hanoi's sovereignty to the Woody island in the Paracels in the South China Sea.

TagsJackson Atoll, Spratly group of islands, South China Sea, Chinese ships, china