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The collision occurred whereas the Coast Guard was carrying sailors on a resupply mission to a ship docked at Second Thomas Shoal.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) stated certainly one of its boats suffered “minor structural injury” as Chinese language vessels tried to dam a resupply mission within the South China Sea within the newest confrontation within the disputed waters.
PCG spokesman Jay Tarriella stated the incident occurred Tuesday morning close to the Second Thomas Shoal, the place a small group of sailors have been residing on the Sierra Madre warship because it was decommissioned about 25 years in the past.
He shared video and pictures on Twitter, exhibiting a Chinese language ship reducing off the bow of a Philippine resupply ship and the crew racing to drop a buoy between the ships.
The PCG ships have been accompanied by resupply boats.
“PCG ships encountered harmful maneuvers and interceptions from Chinese language coast guard vessels and Chinese language maritime militia,” Tariela wrote on the social media platform. He stated the resupply mission was ongoing.
“Their negligent and unlawful actions led to the collision between MRRV-4407 and China Coast Guard 21555, leading to minor structural injury to the PCG vessel.”
China's coast guard stated it had taken “regulatory motion” towards Philippine vessels within the space, accusing them of coming into the waters “illegally.”
at the moment morning, @coastguardph The ships, BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan, have been deployed by Commandant, CG Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan to assist the rotation and reprovisioning operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
All through the operation, PCG ships encountered harmful situations… pic.twitter.com/WsjnMnGSEk
– Jay Taryela (@jaytaryela) 5 March 2024
Tensions have risen within the South China Sea up to now 12 months with Manila accusing Beijing of taking harmful actions towards its boats and submitting a number of diplomatic protests.
The second Thomas Shoal, recognized to the Philippines as Anyingin Shoal and to China as Rennai Jiao, is positioned about 200 km (124 mi) off the western Philippine island of Palawan and greater than 1,000 km off China's southern Hainan Island.
The Philippines is certainly one of a number of Southeast Asian international locations that lay declare to components of the South China Sea, whereas Beijing claims nearly all the waters.
In 2012, China occupied Scarborough Shoal after a month-long standoff and the Philippines took its case to the Everlasting Courtroom of Arbitration in The Hague, which discovered that China's claims had no authorized foundation.
Beijing has ignored the choice.