Chinese vessels collide with Philippine ships in resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal: task force
A China Coast Guard vessel collided on Sunday with a Philippine boat while it was on a rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to a grounded vessel at Ayungin Shoal, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said.
According to NTF-WPS, the China Coast Guard vessel 5203 at 6:04 am conducted “dangerous blocking maneuvers” which made it collide with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)-contracted indigenous resupply boat Unaiza May 2 (UM2), around 13.5 nautical miles of BRP Sierra Madre.
The Chinese Maritime Militia vessel 00003 also “bumped” into Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Cabra port side while it was 6.4 nautical miles East Northeast of Ayungin Shoal, it added.
Despite this, Unaiza May 1 (UM1) “successfully” reached BRP Sierra Madre and send supplies to troops stationed there.
The task force did not say if there injuries or damage from the two incidents.
In a statement, the NTF-WPS said it “condemns in the strongest degree the latest dangerous, irresponsible, and illegal actions of the CCG and the Chinese Maritime Militia done this morning, in violation of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction.''
It is also ''in utter blatant disregard of the United Nations Charter, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) and relevant international maritime conventions, and the 2016 Arbitral Award”, the task force added.
The China Coast Guard earlier this morning said it “lawfully” blocked Philippine vessels transporting “illegal construction materials”.
“On October 22, a Philippine ship trespassed into the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Reef in China's Nansha Islands,” the China Coast Guard said in a statement.
"The Chinese coast guard ship intercepted the trespassing Philippine ship in accordance with the law even though multiple warnings were ineffective," it added.
"The Philippines' actions seriously violated the international rules for avoiding collisions at sea and threatened the navigation safety of our ships. Our operations were professional, standardized, legitimate, and legal, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines," the China Coast Guard said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
