[kellyhound]

A Chinese Coast Guard ship with hull number CCG-21585 intentionally rammed the BRP Datu Magat Salamat, a vessel belonging to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

The Philippine BFAR vessel was conducting a humanitarian and logistical mission to distribute fuel subsidies to local Filipino fishermen.

Around 11:04 AM, the Chinese Coast Guard ship first cut across the stern of the Philippine vessel at a distance of just 10 meters. Nine minutes later, the ship repeated this maneuver, striking the starboard side of the Philippine vessel.

There were no injuries among the Philippine crew. However, the BRP Datu Magat Salamat sustained structural damage: the railings were bent and detached, metal stanchions were deformed and deck equipment was displaced. As a result, the mission had to be cut short.

The Philippine Task Force (NTF-WPS) and the Coast Guard sharply condemned the action as "unprofessional, aggressive, and illegal." They emphasized that civilian vessels supporting fishermen should never be targets of intimidation.

The Chinese authorities deny the Philippine account. The Chinese Embassy in Manila shared video footage, claiming that the Philippine vessel executed an "unprofessional maneuver" by suddenly changing course and sailing across the bow of the Chinese ship, which they claim caused the collision.

The incident occurred roughly 54 nautical miles (100 kilometers) off the coast of Palawan province, near Sabina Shoal (known locally as Escoda Shoal) in the Spratly Islands.

According to international maritime law the Chinese vessel had no legal authority to intercept, harass or ram a Philippine ship in this location.

The location is deep inside the 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Philippines has sole sovereign rights to manage, exploit and protect resources in these waters.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague issued a landmark legal ruling that officially rejected China's expansive "nine-dash line" claims over the South China Sea. The ruling confirmed that China has no historical or legal rights to resources or law enforcement actions within the Philippine EEZ.

China ignores the 2016 ruling. It claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, arguing that its Coast Guard was performing routine sovereignty patrols in Chinese territorial waters and that the Philippine vessel entered illegally.

International bodies like the U.S., Canada and the EU stated that China's aggressive actions were a direct violation of international maritime law.

China deliberately uses its Coast Guard and steel-hulled civilian ships to ram, use water cannons, and block Philippine boats. Because they do not fire live military missiles or guns, China carefully keeps these incidents in a grey zone, aggressive enough to break international law, but just below the threshold that would legally force the U.S. military to fire back.

The Philippines and the United States share a Mutual Defense Treaty however, the threshold to trigger it is intentionally very high. The treaty states that the U.S. will step in militarily if there is an armed attack on Philippine public vessels or forces.

Over 50 distinct encounters already happened and 8 major physical ramming incidents.

[DarkSighted]

Slowest pit maneuver attempt ever.