MANILA – A high-speed chase of a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel in Bajo de Masinloc turned into an embarrassing maritime mishap for China after one of its Coast Guard ships collided with a Chinese Navy warship, sustaining serious damage and becoming unseaworthy.
The PCG confirmed on Monday that the crash occurred after Chinese ships carried out blocking tactics, unsafe maneuvers, and a water cannon attack during an escort mission for 35 Filipino fishing boats. BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Suluan, along with the civilian vessel MV Pamamalakaya, had been deployed to the area.
“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 agency said.
The PCG said that “in a related incident,” China Coast Guard (CCG) ship 3104, which was chasing BRP Suluan at high speed, collided with People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) vessel 164 about 10.5 nautical miles east of the shoal.
“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. This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel’s forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy,” the PCG stated.
Following the collision, the PCG said the Philippine side offered to help recover any crew members who may have fallen overboard and to provide medical treatment to injured Chinese sailors.
Despite the confrontation, the PCG stressed that it “safely escorted the Filipino fishermen to a secure location, where they are now being provided with essential fuel and supplies.”/PN
