Maritime Clash Erupts as Chinese Coast Guard Collides with Philippine Vessel in South China Sea

Maritime tensions in the South China Sea rose once more on Friday when a Chinese Coast Guard ship collided with a Philippine government vessel, an incident captured on video that prompted competing narratives from both Manila and Beijing.

The collision occurred at 11:13 a.m. while the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat was delivering fuel to local fishermen. The incident took place approximately 54 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan province, a location Manila asserts falls within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Video footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard captured crew members shouting “Brace for impact!” just moments before the impact. Subsequent photographs revealed bent and detached railings, compromised metal supports, and debris scattered across the deck of the Philippine vessel. No injuries were reported.

A Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, labeled DA-BFAR MMOV 3015, navigates in proximity to another ship during a maritime encounter. (Chinese Coast Guard )

Philippine authorities accused Beijing of intentionally ramming a civilian government ship during what Manila described as a humanitarian and livelihood operation.

Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for West Philippine Sea concerns, stated that the Chinese vessel initially cut across the stern of the Philippine ship at a distance of roughly 33 feet before repeating the maneuver minutes later and colliding with it.

Two Philippine Coast Guard ships were reportedly surrounded by Chinese vessels in a tense standoff in the South China Sea on March 24, 2025. (Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Beijing disputed Manila’s account. Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue asserted that the Philippine vessel “intentionally adjusted its course and suddenly accelerated to cut across the bow” of the Chinese ship after disregarding repeated warnings. China maintained that its vessel had been conducting lawful operations near Sabina Shoal and attributed the collision to the Philippine side.

Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4, center, is struck by two Chinese coast guard water cannons as they tried to enter the Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

The incident also drew Washington into the dispute. U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton stated that the United States “strongly condemn[s] the China Coast Guard’s deliberate ramming.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila responded by accusing the United States of backing Philippine “infringement and provocations” in the disputed waters.

Friday’s collision marks the latest episode in a prolonged series of maritime confrontations between China and the Philippines. In July, Manila accused Chinese forces of firing water cannons at government vessels near Scarborough Shoal and striking a Philippine Navy staff member in the head with a wooden baton during an encounter at Second Thomas Shoal.

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