MANILA – The Philippines accused the Chinese coast guard yesterday of trying to block a government vessel that was delivering supplies to fishermen, marking the second alleged incident near a disputed reef in two weeks.
The BRP Datu Sanday was providing fuel to fishermen near the Scarborough Shoal when it encountered harassment from a China Coast Guard vessel and three other Chinese ships on February 22, as reported by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
According to an incident report by the PCG, three of the four Chinese vessels approached within 100 meters (328 feet) of the Datu Sanday’s bow, engaging in shadowing, transponder jamming, and other dangerous maneuvers.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Filipino Coast Guard spokesman on South China Sea issues, commended the skipper of BRP Datu Sanday for demonstrating excellent seamanship skills, enabling the vessel to evade the blocking attempts.
A week prior, the Philippine Coast Guard reported a similar encounter involving the BRP Datu Tamblot in the same area.
Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of reefs and rocks, has been a source of tension between the Philippines and China since the latter seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Beijing has since deployed patrol boats that Manila claims harass Philippine vessels and prevent Filipino fishermen from accessing the abundant fishing grounds in the area.
China’s state-run Global Times stated on social media that the China Coast Guard repelled the Datu Sanday when it “illegally intruded into waters adjacent to China’s Huangyan Island,” using the Chinese name for the shoal.
Situated 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese landmass of Hainan, Scarborough Shoal is a contentious territory. China asserts almost the entire South China Sea and has disregarded an international tribunal ruling that invalidated its claims.
