TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Philippines claims China Coast Guard (CCG) ships inflicted damage on one of its vessels when blasting it with water cannons near a contested shoal in the South China Sea on Monday (April 29).
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Jay Tarriela on Tuesday (April 30) said on X that the PCG patrol ship, the BRP Bagacay, and a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel, BRP Bankaw, had been dispatched to Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island), a triangle-shaped chain of reefs and rocks claimed by China, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Tarriela said the mission of the ships was to provide fuel and supplies to support Philippine fishermen.
However, during the patrol, Tarriela said that four CCG ships and six Chinese Maritime Militia vessels conducted “dangerous maneuvers” and obstructed the Philippine ships. Tarriela said that at 9:53 a.m. when the BFAR ship was about 22 km (12 NM) away from the shoal, a CCG ship blasted its water cannon at the starboard side of the Philippine vessel.
When the BRP Bagacay was about 914 meters (1,000 yards) east-southeast of the shoal, two CCG ships targeted it with their jet stream water cannons from both sides. According to Tarriela, the water blasts damaged the railing and canopy of the Philippine patrol ship.
Tarriela said the damage “serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China Coast Guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels.”
The spokesperson added that the CCG has again erected a 380-meter floating barrier blocking the entrance to the shoal, “effectively restricting access to the area.” He said that despite the “harassment and provocative actions” of the Chinese ships, both Philippine vessels “stood their ground and continued their maritime patrol.”
He said the ships were undeterred and would continue carrying out their “legitimate operations" to support and safeguard Filipino fishermen.
China's state-run media CGTN on Tuesday claimed the CCG had “expelled” a PCG ship and another Philippine vessel that “intruded into the waters adjacent to Huangyan Dao.”
