The Philippine Coast Guard reports that Chinese maritime forces harassed Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels conducting scientific research and sand sampling in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Saturday that vessels from the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) harassed Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ships en route to Sandy Cay in the West Philippine Sea. The incident occurred on Friday during a planned marine scientific survey and sand sampling mission.
The PCG stated that three Chinese Coast Guard vessels, identified as 4106, 5103, and 4202, engaged in aggressive maneuvers, disregarding the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs). Fortunately, the skilled seamanship of the BFAR crew prevented any accidents during these tense confrontations. The CCG further deployed four smaller boats to target two rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) carrying BFAR personnel to Sandy Cay. Adding to the escalation, a PLAN helicopter, identified by its tail number 24, hovered at a dangerously low altitude above the BFAR RHIBs, creating hazardous conditions due to its propeller wash. These actions compelled the BFAR and PCG to suspend the survey mission. As a result of the ongoing harassment and blatant disregard for safety by the Chinese maritime forces, BFAR and PCG regretfully had to abandon the survey operations and were unable to collect any sand samples from Sandy Cay. Both BFAR and PCG remain steadfast in their commitment to their mandates and vow to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their personnel and vessels during scientific research and resource management endeavors.This incident is the latest in a series of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese forces in the disputed waters. In September 2023, dead and crushed corals were discovered in Sandy Cay 2. Experts believe this is a common tactic employed by China prior to initiating land reclamation activities. In March 2024, several Filipino marine scientists were injured after allegedly being harassed by a Chinese Navy helicopter at Sandy Cay. The helicopter reportedly flew low over the sand bars and the scientists for an extended period, causing the downwash to scatter dead corals, resulting in cuts and scratches on the Filipino researchers. In May 2023, the Philippine government declared Sandy Cay to be in a 'degraded state,' citing 'low coral and fish diversity and abundance.' Experts and officials attribute this decline to a combination of factors, including overfishing, climate change impacts, and China's island-building activities in the WPS. China claims virtually the entirety of the South China Sea, a vital waterway for over $3 trillion in annual maritime trade, encompassing areas claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Parts of the waters within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone have been rebranded as the West Philippine Sea. In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled that China's claims were baseless, but Beijing has consistently rejected this decision
Maritime Disputes Philippines CHINA PHILIPPINES WEST PHILIPPINE SEA SOUTH CHINA SEA MARITIME DISPUTE COAST GUARD MILITARY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SAND SAMPLING
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