MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported Saturday that Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels were harassed by Chinese Coast Guard ships and a Chinese Navy helicopter.
In a statement on Saturday, PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said BFAR vessels BRP Datu Pagbuaya and BRP Datu Bankaw were en route on the morning of Jan. 24 for a marine scientific survey and sampling at Sandy Cays in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“During the mission, the BFAR vessels encountered aggressive maneuvers from three Chinese Coast Guard vessels 4106, 5103, and 4202,” Tarriela said.
Further, according to the PCG, the Chinese Coast Guard deployed four more small boats against the two BFAR vessels, which were rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs).
“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,” Tarriela said.
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The PCG called the incident a “blatant disregard” of the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).
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“Fortunately, the skilled seamanship of the BFAR crew prevented any potential accidents during these dangerous confrontations,” the PCG spokesperson for WPS said.
“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,” Tarriela added.
INQUIRER.net has reached out to the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines for comment on the incident but has yet to receive a response.
READ: ‘Barbaric’: 2 new reports of Chinese harassment
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