A Philippine Coast Guard ship anchored in Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea since April was rammed by a China Coast Guard vessel on Saturday, officials said, as tensions between the two countries over their maritime disputes have recently shifted to the area.
Teresa Magbanua, one of the two largest vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard, which Beijing wants Manila to remove from Sabina Shoal, sustained damage after it was “intentionally” hit multiple times while operating in the vicinity, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
But China said it was the Philippine ship that “deliberately collided” with its vessel and reiterated its demand for the withdrawal of Teresa Magbanua. Beijing, which continues to claim nearly the entire South China Sea despite an international ruling that it has no legal basis, calls the shoal Xianbin Jiao.
Screenshot shows a Chinese Coast Guard vessel ramming into a Philippine Coast Guard ship in Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea on Aug. 31, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine Coast Guard)(Kyodo)
Despite the damage, the Philippine vessel will remain at Sabina Shoal, which is within the country’s exclusive economic zone, and dropped anchor in another spot there hours after the incident, Tarriela said. None of its crew was injured, and a team is being considered to assess its seaworthiness, he added.
Two other coast guard ships, two Chinese navy tugboats, and several maritime militia vessels were in the vicinity at the time of the incident, according to Tarriela. Earlier this week, China rammed and used a water cannon against a Philippine vessel there and also blocked a resupply mission from Manila.
The Philippines said it deployed Teresa Magbanua to Sabina Shoal to monitor Chinese activities, including the potential for reclamation after the discovery of an unnatural accumulation of crushed corals there. Sabina is near Second Thomas Shoal, where tense encounters between Chinese and Philippine vessels have occurred since last year.
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