‘Intentional ramming’: China Coast Guard damages Philippine ship in West PH Sea

RAMMING. The PCG releases footage of the CCG ship harassing and eventually, ramming, a BFAR vessel.

Philippine Coast Guard

The BRP Datu Magat Salamat is en route back to Coron to assess its seaworthiness

AT A GLANCE

• A Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel, BRP Datu Magat Salamat, was damaged after being intentionally rammed by a China Coast Guard ship while en route to deliver fuel to Filipino fisherfolk.
• The Philippine Coast Guard reported no injuries among the crew, which consists of personnel from both the PCG and BFAR, and the vessel is returning to Coron to assess its sea-worthiness.
• The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea condemned China's actions as reckless and in violation of international maritime laws, urging China to cease dangerous activities that threaten lives at sea.

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MANILA, Philippines — A Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel sustained damage to its main railings, metal stanchions and supports, as well as deck fixtures and equipment, after a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship rammed it on Friday, September 18, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

In an online briefing with reporters, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said it was a case of “intentional ramming” by the CCG vessel. A day earlier, the Philippine vessel ran aground at Hasa-Hasa (Half Moon) Shoal. 

The BRP Datu Magat Salamat has since decided to cut short its mission and was en route back to Coron to assess if it was still sea-worthy, said Tarriela. 

The BRP Datu Magat Salamat was supposed to bring fuel to Filipino fisherfolk in Abad Santos (Bombay) Shoal when the CCG ship (CCG-21585) used dangerous manuevers on the smaller BFAR ship — cutting across her stern before “striking” or ramming the slightly smaller BFAR vessel. 

No injuries were reported from the BRP Datu Magat Salamat, which is manned by a mix of PCG and BFAR personnel. 

Tarriela said the 21-series CCG ships are the smallest in the fleet, at under 50 meters long, and are the most agile. In the past, Tarriela said, vessels in this class have been involved in incidents of harassment in the West Philippine Sea, including during resupply missions to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, a Philippine Navy outpost in the West Philippine Sea.

Abad Santos Shoal is just around 54 nautical miles away from Palawan and is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in an area Manila calls the West Philippine Sea. 

In a statement, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea condemned China for a “reckless act” that breached the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award.

“The NTF-WPS calls on China to cease dangerous and unlawful actions that endanger lives at sea. We will continue to exercise our rights under international law with restraint, professionalism, and firm commitment to the security and dignity of the Filipino people,” said the inter-agency NTF-WPS.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea to include the Philippines’ EEZ. China has also refused to accept the landmark 2016 Arbitral Award, which affirmed the Philippines’ 200 nautical mile EEZ and deemed China’s sweeping “historical” claim invalid. – Rappler.com