China Coast Guard Rams Philippine Supply Boat Near Sabina Shoal

A China Coast Guard vessel struck a Philippine government ship on a fuel-distribution mission in the South China Sea on Friday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard, marking another flashpoint between the two countries in contested waters.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat was ferrying fuel to Filipino fishermen roughly 54 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan province when the incident occurred, the coast guard said.

According to Manila, the Chinese vessel carried out a sequence of manoeuvres before making contact with the Philippine ship, damaging its railings and deck structures. No one was injured. The coast guard described the episode as a deliberate ramming of a civilian government vessel engaged in a humanitarian and livelihood mission.

Footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed crew members shouting "brace for impact!" shortly before the collision, which it said took place at 11:13 a.m. local time (0313 GMT). Photographs taken afterwards showed bent and detached railings, damaged metal supports and debris strewn across the deck.

Beijing offered a different account. The China Coast Guard said it was conducting law enforcement operations near Sabina Shoal on Friday when the Philippine vessel ignored repeated warnings, deliberately changed course and suddenly accelerated across the bow of its ship. It said its own vessel had operated professionally and placed responsibility for the collision on the Philippine side.

The incident drew a response from the United States, with Ambassador Lee Lipton condemning what he called the deliberate ramming in a post on the US Embassy in the Philippines' Facebook page. The Chinese Embassy in Manila hit back, criticising the US Embassy for endorsing what it characterised as Philippine infringement and provocation in the waters near Sabina Shoal, in a statement posted on X.

Friday's collision adds to a series of recent confrontations. In July, Manila accused Beijing of firing water cannon at government vessels near Scarborough Shoal and of striking a Philippine Navy staff member on the head with a wooden baton during an encounter at Second Thomas Shoal.