A CHINA Coast Guard ship rammed a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) carrying fuel for Filipino fishing boats off Palawan on Friday morning.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that the incident took place just 54 nautical miles from Palawan and in the waters of the Spratly Islands chain, a fish-rich flash point that has been the site of violent confrontations with China Coast Guard vessels in recent years.
The Chinese ship, CCG-21585, first “cut across the stern” of the BFAR’s Datu Magat Salamat at a distance of only about 10 meters,” PCG spokesman Jay Tarriela said.
Nine minutes later, the “Chinese vessel repeated the maneuver, and this time made contact, striking the BFAR vessel,” Tarriela said.
Video released on X by the PCG shows the Chinese vessel near the stern of the boat and a crew member shouting “collision,” although the impact is not visible.
Damage to the Datu Maga Salamat’s starboard side from the collision was extensive: main railings were bent, broken or detached; metal stanchions and support structures were deformed; deck fixtures and equipment were displaced; and debris was scattered across the deck, Tarriela said.
The CCG-21585 then made yet another dangerous move, passing dead astern the BFAR vessel at a distance of about 5 meters.
PCG commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan directed coast guard surface and air assets to provide assistance to the Datu Magat Salamat and ensure the safety of its crew.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila has not responded to a request for comment as of Friday night.
The Philippines and China renewed their confrontations in the South China Sea in July after a brief period of quiet, making headlines just as Manila was hosting the Asean foreign ministers’ summit.
“Let us be clear about what this vessel was doing: it was bringing fuel to Filipino fishermen so they can keep fishing in our own waters and keep food on Filipino tables. The China Coast Guard deliberately rammed a civilian government vessel on a humanitarian and livelihood mission, endangering the lives of its Filipino crew,” Tarriela said.
The incident is a blatant violation of the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, the 2016 Arbitral Award and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, he said.
“No amount of ramming or dangerous maneuvering will change the fact that these waters belong to the Filipino people,” Tarriela said.