MANILA, Philippines — A China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel fired a water cannon at a Philippine fisheries vessel delivering fuel subsidies to Filipino fishermen at Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Thursday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela said the incident occurred during the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ (BFAR) mission to deliver fuel subsidies and food packs to Filipino fishers amid rising fuel prices.
According to the PCG, CCG vessel 3302 closed to within about 50 meters of the bow of BRP Datu Dumangsil at 5:54 a.m.
At 6:29 a.m., the vessel fired its water cannon for more than two minutes, resulting in what the PCG described as an indirect hit on the BFAR vessel.
The PCG said another Chinese vessel, CCG 21579, crossed about 500 meters ahead of BRP Datu Paiburong at around 6 a.m.
No injuries were reported, and the BFAR vessels continued the mission.
“These actions violated the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) and endangered Filipino personnel engaged in a purely humanitarian undertaking,” Tarriela said in a statement.
Despite the encounter, M/V Mamalakaya and BRP Datu Cabaylo completed the distribution of fuel subsidies and food packs to Filipino fishing boats by mid-morning, while BRP Datu Sumakwel continued patrol and resupply operations.
The PCG also deployed a Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft to conduct a maritime domain awareness flight over Panatag Shoal.
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The aircraft received a radio challenge from Chinese forces while flying within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, according to the PCG.
The aircraft monitored three CCG vessels, two Chinese Maritime Militia vessels, and one People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel.
As of Thursday morning, three PCG vessels, four BFAR vessels, and M/V Mamalakaya remained at Panatag Shoal, where they were operating alongside nine CCG vessels and one Chinese Maritime Militia vessel, the PCG said.
The PCG said it would continue supporting Filipino fishermen and maintaining a lawful presence in the West Philippine Sea, adding that the 2016 arbitral award affirmed Filipino fishermen’s traditional fishing rights at Panatag Shoal.
Panatag Shoal lies about 357 kilometers off Palauig, Zambales, and roughly 926 kilometers from Hainan, China’s southernmost province. It lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, about 352 kilometers from the nearest Philippine coastline.
However, it has remained under Chinese control since a 2012 standoff with the Philippine Navy.
Beijing claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, waters in the western portion of the country’s 370-kilometer EEZ. Beijing continues to ignore a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that nullified its claims and upheld Manila’s sovereign rights over these waters. /mcm
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