China vessels, helicopter disrupt PH scientific survey in Sandy Cays – PCG

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has reported yet another incident of harassment by Chinese vessels, this time disrupting a scientific mission in the Sandy Cays in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Sandy Cays are sandbars located near Pag-asa Island in the WPS, over which China claims ownership, despite a 2016 arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines.

In a statement on Saturday, January 25, the PCG said two Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) patrol vessels, BRP Datu Pagbuaya and BRP Datu Bankaw, were en route to the Sandy Cays for "marine scientific survey and sand sampling" on Friday when they encountered harassment from the China Coast Guard.

“During the mission, the BFAR vessels encountered aggressive maneuvers from three Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels 4106, 5103 and 4202, which exhibited blatant disregard for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs). Fortunately, the skilled seamanship of the BFAR crew prevented any potential accidents during these dangerous confrontations,” said the PCG, which supported the BFAR mission.

It said the CCG also deployed four additional small boats to harass BFAR’s two rigid-hull inflatable boats, which were transporting personnel to Sandy Cays.

“Compounding the situation, a People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) helicopter, identified by tail number 24, hovered at an unsafe altitude above the BFAR RHIBs, creating hazardous conditions due to the propeller wash,” the PCG added.

“As a result of this continuous harassment and the disregard for safety exhibited by the Chinese maritime forces, BFAR and PCG have regrettably suspended their survey operations and were unable to collect sand samples at Sandy Cays,” the PCG said.

The BFAR and PCG emphasized that they are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their personnel and vessels during scientific research.

The Philippines has filed numerous diplomatic protests against China’s intrusions in the WPS, the latest concerning the presence of a “monster” ship near the coastlines of Zambales. While the ship has since moved farther, it was last spotted still within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.