A Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer collided with a China Coast Guard ship while hounding a Philippine Coast Guard patrol near Bajo de Masinloc on Monday.
The incident occurred roughly 10.5 nautical miles east of Panatag Shoal, according to PCG–WPS spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela. A six-second clip showed the approach and contact.
Tarriela said the crash “resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel’s forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy.” He added that the PCG “immediately offered support, including assistance with man-overboard recovery and medical aid for any injured CCG crew members.” Those offers were not accepted, based on subsequent reporting and posts about the encounter.
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Open-source accounts identified the vessels as China Coast Guard CCG-3104 and PLA Navy destroyer DDG-164. Additional footage released by the Philippine side showed heavy deformation on the coast guard ship’s focsle and visible damage along the destroyer’s forward port section.
Beijing’s media line did not change with the physics. Chinese paper Global Times asserted that “the Philippines’ moves seriously infringed upon China’s sovereignty,” adding that China took “necessary measures in accordance with the law” and that Manila’s “deliberate infringement and provocation” were the root of tensions.
China’s Foreign Ministry echoed the claim, saying Philippine vessels and aircraft “intruded into the territorial waters” and airspace of Huangyan Dao.
The Filipino ship was inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but also inside Scarborough Shoal’s 12-nautical-mile belt. While the UNCLOS in 2016 ruled the China’s nine-dash line invalid, it also found that Scarborough is a “rock” and sovereignty of the over the belt of it remains unresolved.
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