MANILA — Philippine officials said a China Coast Guard vessel rammed and damaged a Philippine fisheries vessel during a September 18 mission to deliver fuel to Filipino fishermen off Palawan, drawing condemnation from Manila and concern from the United States, Canada and the European Union.126
China rejected Manila’s account, saying an official Philippine vessel provoked the incident and deliberately rammed a Chinese Coast Guard vessel in waters Beijing identifies as adjacent to Xianbin Jiao, known internationally and in the Philippines as Sabina Shoal.3 The competing accounts underscored how Philippine civilian and fisheries-support missions in the South China Sea have become tests of maritime law, alliance signaling and crisis-management channels between Manila and Beijing.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, China Coast Guard vessel CCG-21585 first cut across the stern of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat at a distance of about 10 meters at 11:04 a.m. on September 18. At 11:13 a.m., while the Philippine vessel was maintaining course, the Chinese vessel repeated the maneuver and made contact, Philippine officials said.1
The incident occurred about 54 nautical miles off Palawan and about 6.36 nautical miles north-northwest of Abad Santos Shoal, according to Philippine reports. That location places it well inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone as defined by Manila.15
The Philippine Coast Guard said the BFAR vessel was carrying out a humanitarian and livelihood-support mission for Filipino fishermen, including fuel subsidy delivery. Officials reported damage to the vessel’s starboard side, including bent, broken and detached railings, deformed metal support structures and displaced deck fixtures.1
Reuters Connect carried Philippine Coast Guard handout footage described as showing the collision and dangerous maneuvers involving CCG-21585 and BRP Datu Magat Salamat, while noting the conflicting Philippine and Chinese claims.8
Manila invokes maritime law
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said there was “no justification” for the China Coast Guard vessel to take aggressive action against a Philippine civilian law-enforcement vessel conducting routine support for Filipino fisherfolk.2
The DFA said the incident was inconsistent with China’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea Convention.2
Manila called on Beijing to respect Philippine sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone, exercise restraint and avoid further escalation.2 The National Maritime Council separately said the China Coast Guard’s actions placed the BFAR vessel’s civilian crew at unnecessary risk during a legitimate livelihood-support mission, and stressed that safety of life at sea should come first.6
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea also condemned the incident, identifying the location as near Abad Santos Shoal and about 54 nautical miles from Palawan.5 The vessel had been involved in the same broader fisheries-support effort after being refloated a day earlier from Hasa-Hasa Shoal, where it had run aground while approaching Filipino fishing boats to distribute fuel.1
Beijing blames Philippine vessel
China’s Foreign Ministry gave the opposite account. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said an official Philippine vessel “started provocations and deliberately rammed” a China Coast Guard vessel in waters near Xianbin Jiao in the Nansha Qundao, China’s name for the Spratly Islands.3
Guo said the Philippine side should stop what Beijing called infringement activities and disinformation, and said China would continue safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.3
Chinese state media, citing China Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue, said the Chinese vessel Sanzhou’ao was conducting law-enforcement operations near Xianbin Reef when Philippine vessel No. 3015 ignored repeated warnings, changed course and accelerated across the bow of the Chinese vessel, resulting in a collision.4 Jiang said China acted in a “professional, standardized, reasonable, and lawful” manner and placed responsibility on the Philippine side.4
The Philippine vessel’s hull number, MMOV 3015, corresponds to BRP Datu Magat Salamat in Philippine and defense reporting.7 USNI News reported that the encounter occurred during a maritime resupply patrol inside Manila’s exclusive economic zone and described it as the latest high-profile skirmish in the long-running dispute over South China Sea maritime boundaries and features.7
Partners signal concern
The incident drew swift statements from key partners. The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, Lee Lipton, said Washington “strongly condemns” the ramming of the BFAR vessel near Palawan and commended the professionalism of Philippine personnel.6
Canada said it was concerned by what it described as the China Coast Guard deliberately ramming a BFAR fisheries-enforcement vessel, warning that such maneuvers jeopardize regional peace and stability.6
The European Union delegation in Manila also expressed deep concern, saying dangerous maneuvers at sea endanger lives and that respect for the law of the sea, including UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, is central to maritime security and safety.6
For Indo-Pacific policymakers, the confrontation illustrates the growing strategic weight of missions Manila describes as civilian, humanitarian and livelihood-oriented. Fuel and food support for fishermen now routinely intersects with China’s maritime enforcement presence, Philippine legal claims under UNCLOS and the 2016 award, and public signaling by treaty allies and partners.
It also raises the stakes for China-Philippines de-escalation mechanisms. Both governments say they seek stability, but the September 18 incident shows how a routine support run can quickly become an international legal and diplomatic dispute when vessels operate at close range in contested waters.
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