A dramatic confrontation near Ayungin Shoal resulted in the encirclement of a Philippine Coast Guard vessel and heavy damage to a Philippine Navy-commissioned boat on a supply mission to the Philippine Marines contingent stationed on the grounded BRP Sierra Madre.
The chartered civilian vessel was “severely damaged” after it was subjected to intense water cannon blasts by a China Coast Guard ship as it approached Ayungin Shoal on Saturday.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, or AFP, released a video showing a white Chinese ship repeatedly shooting streams of water at a smaller vessel sailing alongside it. One clip showed two white ships simultaneously firing their water cannons at the vessel.
It released another clip showing a white ship marked China Coast Guard crossing the bow of a gray vessel it identified as the Philippine supply boat Unaizah May 4 or UM4.
A PCG ship, the BRP Cabra, was encircled by Chinese vessels, but it managed to break free to assist the crippled UM4. A PCG rubber boat eventually delivered the provisions to the BRP Sierra Madre.
The Chinese aggression went against the CCG’s earlier pronouncement that it would allow single Philippine vessels to sail to Ayungin Shoal. The AFP, however, said it did not recognize any Chinese imposition within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
In a series of media updates, the AFP reported at 6:08 a.m. that a CCG vessel, BN21551, performed a “dangerous maneuver of crossing the bow” of the wooden supply boat UM4.
About an hour later, near Ayungin, the CCG conducted a “reverse blocking maneuver” against UM4, which caused a “near collision.”
At 7:59 a.m., the CCG started blasting a water cannon, deliberately targeting the UM4.
At 8:38 a.m., the UM4 was subjected to “direct water cannoning” by two CCG ships while two Chinese maritime militia vessels blocked the BRP Cabra, one of the escort vessels.
The Philippine government has demanded China act accordingly when it claims to be a “responsible and trustworthy” member of the international community.
In a statement on Saturday, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea slammed China for its dangerous actions in the country’s territorial waters.
Deliberate attack
“The supply boat UM4 sustained heavy damage at around 8:52 [a.m.] due to the continued water cannon dousing by the CCG vessels,” the AFP said.
The BRP Cabra managed to maneuver to reach the UM4 and give assistance.
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said the Cabra was “impeded and encircled” by CCG vessel 21551 and CMM vessels with bow numbers 00036 and 00314.
“The MRRV 4409 (Cabra) has been isolated from the resupply boat due to the irresponsible and provocative behavior of the Chinese maritime forces that have shown a disregard for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea,” Tarriela said.
At 11:09 a.m., six Philippine Navy crewmen and the essential cargo from the UM4 were ferried to the beached transport vessel on the Cabra’s rigid-hull inflatable boat.
By 11:59 a.m., the Navy crew with the supplies arrived at the starboard side of the BRP Sierra Madre.
The UM4 could not continue on its course as the CMM vessel, assisted by Chinese RHIBs, installed floating barriers to prevent entry to the shoal.
Despite the efforts of the Chinese vessels to impede the resupply mission, the AFP announced its success.
Resolve to continue missions
AFP Public Affairs Chief, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, said the RoRe (rotation and resupply) operation was part of the military’s resolve “to rightfully and lawfully maintain its presence at the shoal for the continued protection of Philippine sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone.”
“This particular mission was set up to ensure a full troop complement on board the BRP Sierra Madre after one personnel needing serious medical attention was recently evacuated,” Trinidad said.
He said AFP personnel were rotated “to ensure that BRP Sierra Madre’s mission posture remains uncompromised.”
The AFP-chartered supply boat departed Naval Detachment Oyster Bay in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on Friday. Two Philippine Navy ships and two more from the PCG escorted it.
The UM4 was the same chartered supply boat that was water-cannoned by two CCG vessels on 5 March in the same area. The vessel sustained damage, and five Navy personnel, including AFP Western Command chief Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, were hurt in that incident.
Ayungin Shoal is located within the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
Mission ‘irregular’
Gan Yu, spokesperson for the CCG, said, “The Philippines conducted an irregular resupply mission” to the shoal that China calls Ren’ai Jiao.
Gan claimed the UM4 attempted to transport construction materials to the BRP Sierra Madre.
“It is a deliberate and provocative move that infringes upon China’s sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests and undermines peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.
“The CCG implemented lawful regulation, interception, and expulsion reasonably and professionally. We warn the Philippines that playing with fire is an invitation to disgrace, and the China Coast Guard is always ready to defend the country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” Gan said.
The latest confrontation came four days after visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States stood by its “ironclad” commitments to defend longtime ally Philippines against armed attack in the South China Sea.
Two days after Blinken’s visit to Manila, the China Coast Guard tried to drive away Filipino scientists who landed on two cays near Scarborough Shoal, another contested marine outcrop.
Four crew members were hurt by broken glass during the previous water cannon attack on the Unaizah May 4.
