The Philippine Coast Guard announced that one of its ships was damaged after it collided with a Chinese Coast Guard ship on Tuesday during a supply mission in the South China Sea.
Philippine Coast Guard Brigadier General Jay Tarella said in a post that a Chinese Coast Guard ship accompanied by a group of ships carried out “dangerous maneuvers and ‘obstruction’ that resulted in a collision that led to “slight damage to the hull of the Philippine Coast Guard ship.”
He pointed out that the BRP Sindangan ship and a second ship were deployed "to support the rotation and resupply operation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines" in the region.
The Chinese Coast Guard announced on Tuesday in a statement that it had “taken control measures” against what it described as an “illegal incursion” by Philippine ships into a disputed part of the South China Sea.
"On March 5, the Chinese Coast Guard took control measures in accordance with the law against the illegal intrusion of Philippine ships into the waters adjacent to the Renai Jiao Reef in China's Nansha Islands," the statement said.
"Rinai Jiao" is the Chinese name for the island of "Second Thomas Shoal" within the "Spratly" group of islands, which Beijing calls "Nansha."
This collision is the second incident of its kind since December, when Chinese ships fired water cannons at Philippine military boats.