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China Coast Guard Water-Cannons a Philippine Fisheries Vessel

China Coast Guard water cannon
File image courtesy Philippine Coast Guard

Published Oct 8, 2024 6:25 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The China Coast Guard has again resorted to the use of water cannons to deter a Philippine supply mission at Scarborough Shoal, a Chinese-occupied reef in the Philippine exclusive economic zone.

A video released by the Philippine government-owned People's Television Network appears to show one Chinese cutter, the CCG-3301, using water cannons against the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) patrol vessel Datu Cabaylo. 

BFAR said in a statement that two China Coast Guard cutters and one PLA Navy warship harassed two of its civilian law enforcement vessels, the BRP Datu Cabaylo and the BRP Datu Sanday. The patrol vessels were at Scarborough Shoal on a recurring mission to provide supplies to Philippine fishermen from Luzon, who have long relied on the reef and its lagoon for a steady catch. 

"Notwithstanding the dangerous maneuvers and opening of water cannons, both BFAR vessels were able to resupply the Filipino fisherfolk in the vicinity of Bao de Masinloc," BFAR said in a statement Tuesday. "The BFAR will not be deterred from fulfilling its mission of patrolling all Philippine maritime zones and providing support and assistance to Filipino fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea."

The last water-cannoning incident involving a BFAR vessel occurred in August, when the China Coast Guard blocked, rammed and hosed down a Philippine patrol boat that was bound for Sabina Shoal. The attack disabled its engines and forced it to abandon its mission.

Sabina Shoal has become a new flash point for maritime confrontation between Philippine and Chinese forces, and dozens of Chinese government vessels have staked out the reef's anchorage. A Philippine Coast Guard vessel was stationed there for months to monitor foreign activity, but had to return to port in late August because a Chinese blockade left it without food and water.