China vessels 'harass' PCG ships on humanitarian mission

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 5, 2023): China vessels 'harass' PCG ships on humanitarian mission (By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz)

BLOCKED. A much larger vessel of the China Coast Guard (CCG) blocking the path of the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4402) during a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal on June 30, 2023. The PCG on Wednesday (July 5, 2023) expressed concern for CCG's "aggressive actions" and their "blatant disregard" for international laws and safety regulations at sea. (Photo courtesy of PCG)

MANILA – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday expressed concern over the “aggressive actions” of Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels against its ships during a support mission to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) last week.

In a series of tweets, PCG spokesperson for WPS, CG Commodore Jay Tarriela said two PCG vessels, MRRV-4402 and MRRV-4403, provided support in the naval operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command (Wescom) on June 30.

“The PCG was tasked with escorting the boats they used to ensure their safety,” Tarriela said.

However, he said CCG vessels exerted “additional effort” in preventing the PCG from reaching the Ayungin Shoal.

“This is evident from their aggressive actions as soon as the PCG vessels approach within 12 nautical miles (NM) of the shoal,” he said.

He said the CCG vessels showed “blatant disregard” for the ‘Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea’ (COLREGs) in their attempts to obstruct the passage of PCG ships.

“During the operation, the PCG was constantly followed, harassed, and obstructed by the significantly larger Chinese Coast Guard vessels at a distance of approximately 100 yards,” he said.

He also expressed concern over the presence of two warships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) in Ayungin Shoal.

“This is particularly alarming as the Philippine Navy's naval operation is solely humanitarian in nature,” he said.

However, he said the mission was completed successfully and PCG vessels were able to safely return to their areas of operations.

Earlier, Senator Risa Hontiveros urged the Philippine government to raise the WPS issue to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly following continued aggressive actions of Chinese vessels against Philippine ships in the WPS.

Hontiveros slammed China’s actions for their “complete disrespect of international law.”

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1204994