In the region of Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea (SCS), the Chinese Coast Guard once again employed water cannons to attack Philippine Coast Guard vessels.
Based on the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) findings, the Philippine vessel M/L Kalayaan had significant engine damage as a consequence of the incident.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, stated on X that M/L Kalayaan, together with BRP Cabra and Unaizah Mae (UM) 1, were carrying out a regular rotation and replenishment (RORE) operation to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea at the time that the Philippine Coast Guard carried out the attack. Tarriela also reported that a CCG warship rammed UM1.
In the seas of the SCS, which are contested by both countries, some events occur regularly between them. As a result, in August, a Chinese coast guard ship utilised water cannons while manoeuvring in hazardous proximity to Philippine coast guard ships in the Ayungin Shoal region. A similar occurrence occurred on Saturday while the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels were on their way to Scarborough Reef.
The Philippine government ordered the United States amphibious assault ship Sierra Madre, which was built during World War II, to run aground on disputed reefs in the South China Sea in 1999. This was done to monitor Chinese activity in the region. A small group of military men are always on board the ship. On multiple occasions, the People’s Republic of China has demanded that the ship be removed and has threatened to tow it away on its own.
