A China Coast Guard vessel collided with a Philippine boat carrying out a resupply mission in the South China Sea on Friday, damaging its railings and deck structures but leaving no one injured, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The incident marked the latest confrontation between the two countries in disputed waters.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat was delivering fuel to Filipino fishermen roughly 54 nautical miles off Palawan province when a China Coast Guard ship made a series of dangerous maneuvers and struck the Philippine vessel, the PCG said.
“The China Coast Guard deliberately rammed a civilian government vessel on a humanitarian and livelihood mission,” the Philippine agency said in a statement.
Video released by the PCG showed crew members yelling “brace for impact!” shortly before the collision, which occurred at 11:13 a.m.
Images taken afterward showed railings that had been bent or torn away, damaged metal supports and debris spread across the deck.
The China Coast Guard said it conducted law enforcement operations near Sabina Shoal on Friday after the Philippine vessel “disregarded repeated solemn warnings, deliberately altered its course and suddenly accelerated to cut across the bow of our vessel.”
According to the Chinese statement, its vessel acted professionally and the Philippine side was responsible for the collision.
In July, Manila accused Beijing of using water cannon against government vessels near Scarborough Shoal and of hitting a Philippine Navy staff member on the head with a wooden baton during an encounter at Second Thomas Shoal.
