Philippines "accuses" Chinese ship of using water cannon to attack supply ship

A video captured by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a Chinese coast guard ship spraying water cannons at a Philippine supply ship on the morning of March 23 (Photo: Philippine Army).

The Philippine military said the incident occurred on the morning of March 23 and lasted about an hour while Manila's supply ship Unaizah May 4 (UM4) was trying to resupply a small group of sailors stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre that sank off the coast near the Second Thomas Shoal.

In a video released by the country's military, two white Chinese Coast Guard ships repeatedly spray water cannons at a ship traveling alongside. Another video shows a white ship with the words "Chinese Coast Guard" crossing the bow of a gray ship identified as the Philippine supply ship UM4.

According to Philippine military sources, Manila's supply ship UM4 was severely damaged at 8:52 a.m. by continuous water cannon fire from a Chinese coast guard ship. However, Manila did not go into details about the damage, only emphasizing: "UM4 and a Philippine Coast Guard escort ship were still able to transfer cargo."

In a separate statement, Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard on South China Sea issues, also confirmed that one of the escort vessels, the BRP Cabra, was “obstructed and surrounded” by three Chinese coast guard and other vessels early on the morning of March 23.

As a result, the BRP Cabra was “isolated from the supply ship due to the irresponsible and provocative behavior of the Chinese maritime forces,” he added. The statement said the Chinese side had shown “disregard” for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS).

However, Chinese coast guard spokesman Gan Yu claimed that the Philippine vessels had "intruded into the area, despite repeated warnings from the Chinese side" and said Beijing had carried out "control, obstruction and expulsion".

This is the latest dispute between the two countries in the region in the past month. Earlier this month, the UM4 was damaged in a similar attack and returned safely under the escort of two Philippine Coast Guard vessels and two Philippine Navy ships.

The Philippine military has for many years reinforced the BRP Sierra Madre ship that ran aground on the Second Thomas Shoal, part of Vietnam's Spratly Islands, since 1999.

The BRP Sierra Madre was a 100-meter-long landing ship that was commissioned by the US Navy during World War II. It was later transferred to the Philippines, where the navy deliberately ran it aground on Second Thomas Shoal, turning it into an illegal military outpost.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/philippines-to-tau-trung-quoc-dung-voi-rong-tan-cong-tau-tiep-van-20240323195014364.htm