Chinese Coast Guard Cutter Rams Philippine Vessel in South China Sea
The Philippine Coast Guard has released video footage showing a China Coast Guard cutter maneuvering to ram the stern of a Philippine fisheries enforcement vessel near Sabina Shoal, a contested reef within the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the fisheries patrol vessel BRP Datu Sanday was under way from Half Moon Shoal to Sabina Shoal to deliver supplies to Philippine fishermen on Sunday when it was surrounded by China Coast Guard and PLA Navy ships. In a statement, the AFP said that the Chinese vessels attempted to block and encircle the Datu Sanday, and used ramming, horn blasts and water cannons, and eventually disabled the vessel's engines and forced it to terminate its mission.
The video of the ramming shows the Chinese cutter approaching the starboard quarter of the nearly-motionless BRP Datu Sanday at low speed, then making hard contact.
The cutter's wake shows that the Chinese vessel was turning hard towards the Datu Sanday, maneuvering into a collision rather than attempting to avoid contact. Two China Coast Guard servicemembers are visible on the foredeck as the cutter approaches, recording the encounter with their phones instead of deploying fenders or shouting a warning.
NTF-WPS STATEMENT
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) August 25, 2024
Today, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel, BRP Datu Sanday (MMOV 3002), encountered aggressive and dangerous maneuvers from eight Chinese maritime forces while operating from Hasa-Hasa Shoal to Escoda Shoal. The actions of the Chinese… pic.twitter.com/N8WW5QkXJE
"The crew aboard the [Datu Sanday] maintains high morale and remains safe and unharmed. [Chinese] claims suggesting that our personnel fell overboard and were subsequently rescued by the Chinese Coast Guard are completely unfounded," said the AFP.
In a statement, the China Coast Guard claimed that it took "control measures" after the Datu Sanday "illegally intruded" into the Philippine EEZ near Sabina Shoal. In response, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela characterized the China Coast Guard's approach as "unprofessional, aggressive, and illegal."
"[Sabina Shoal] is located within our EEZ, while your claim . . . exists only in the imagination of the Chinese Communist Party," he said.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague dismissed China's unilateral claim to reefs and waters within the internationally-recognized Philippine EEZ, but China refused to acknowledge the ruling. Beijing claims sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea, including most of its neighbors' EEZs and areas beyond national jurisdiction, citing historical Chinese navigation and trade in the region.