Vessels operated by the Chinese and Philippines coast guards collided in the South China Sea on Tuesday, potentially fanning further tensions in the disputed region as authorities in Manilla blamed the incident on the Chinese ship’s “dangerous” maneuvers.
In this handout photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a Chinese coast guard ship approaches ... [+]
In a statement issued on X, Philippines Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela said their vessels faced “dangerous maneuvers and blocking from Chinese Coast Guard vessels,” and these “reckless and illegal actions” resulted in a collision.
Tarriela said the incident resulted in minor structural damage to one of the Philippines Coast Guard’s vessels.
In a later post, the spokesperson alleged the Chinese vessels harassed the Philippine ship and deployed water cannons
The affected vessel was one of two ships on a mission to resupply troops stationed on board the BRP Sierra Madre—a Philippine Navy ship that was deliberately grounded by Manila near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to back its claims on the area.
It is unclear if the Chinese vessels sustained any damage or if any personnel on either side was injured in the incident.