Phl: China damaged 2 PCG ships near Escoda Shoal

China Coast Guard ships rammed two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels after engaging them in dangerous maneuvers within minutes of each other around Escoda (Sabina) Shoal before dawn yesterday.

- PIA LEE-BRAGO and GHIO ONG

“These dangerous manuevers (by the Chinese) resulted in collisions, causing structural damage to both PCG vessels,” Jonathan Malaya, spokesman for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), said yesterday in a statement.

The BRP Bagacay and BRP Cape Engaño were damaged in the collision which took place at past 3 a.m. while the two vessels were en route to Patag and Lawak Islands to deliver supplies to PCG personnel.

The United States, through its ambassador, denounced the CCG’s latest act of aggression while the European Union expressed concern over the incident.

“The US stands with the Philippines in condemning the China Coast Guard’s dangerous maneuvers near Sabina Shoal that endangered lives and caused damage to two Coast GuardPH vessels,” US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson wrote on X.

“We are committed to supporting the rights of our #FriendsPartnersAllies under international law,” she said.

Also on X, EU Ambassador Luc Veron said, “We are concerned about today’s serious maritime incidents between the Chinese Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard that has resulted in damages to two CoastGuardPH vessels.”

Reports said that while Cape Engaño was navigating the waters southeast of Escoda Shoal at around 3:24 a.m., a CCG ship with bow number 3104 emerged and engaged the Filipino vessel in threatening moves, which eventually resulted in a collision. The collision damaged the starboard beam of Cape Engaño, and punctured a hole approximately five inches in diameter on the deck.

The ramming also damaged the “engine exhaust on the starboard quarter, which has a diameter of 40 centimeters.”

Minutes later at 3:40 a.m., another CCG vessel with bow number 21551 rammed the Bagacay approximately 21.3 nautical miles southeast of Escoda Shoal. The ramming caused “minor structural damage” to the PCG ship.