2 Chinese ships collide during tense encounter with Philippine ship

The Philippine Coast Guard confirmed that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel and a People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel collided on Monday while trying to chase a Philippine Coast Guard ship near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela explained that the Philippine Coast Guard deployed the BRP Teresa Magbanua, the BRP Suluan, and the MV Pamamalakaya on Monday to help roughly 35 Filipino fishing vessels located in Bajo de Masinloc.

“During the operation, Philippine vessels and fishermen encountered hazardous maneuvers and blocking actions from other vessels in the vicinity,” Tarriela stated. “In particular, the MRRV 4406 was targeted with a water cannon, but the seamanship skills by PCG crew members allowed the vessel to successfully evade from getting hit.”

The Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed that in a “related incident” on Monday, the China Coast Guard vessel 3104 and the People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel 164 collided roughly 10.5 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc.

“The CCG 3104, which was chasing the BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky maneuver from the PCG vessel's starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA Navy warship,” Tarriela said. “This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel's forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy.”

Tariella noted that the Philippine Coast Guard “immediately” offered recovery and medical support to the crew members of the Chinese ships. The commodore added that the Filipino fishermen were escorted to a “secure location” and were given fuel and essential supplies.

Addressing Monday’s collision between the two Chinese ships, Tariella said, “The Philippine Coast Guard reaffirms its dedication to safeguarding all maritime operations in the area and wishes for the swift recovery and proper treatment of any affected CCG personnel.”

Videos shared by Tariella show the collision between the two Chinese ships and the damage caused to the bow of one of the Chinese ships.

https://x.com/jaytaryela/status/1954734522282733749

In a statement obtained by CNN, Lin Jian, a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, claimed that the Philippine Coast Guard’s ships dispatched to the Scarborough Shoal “seriously infringe upon China’s sovereignty and rights, significantly threaten maritime peace and stability, and are of a grave nature.”

According to CNN, Alessio Patalano, a professor at King’s College London, suggested that the actions of the two Chinese ships displayed “no seamanship-like behavior to speak of.” Patalano claimed that China’s conduct was “highly unprofessional and dangerous from intent to execution” and directly led to one of the aggressive Chinese ships suffering a “disabling damage.”