Chinese cutters, small boats and aircraft blocked a Philippine scientific research mission to the South China Sea features of Sand Cay on Friday, according to Philippine officials.
BRP Datu Pagbuaya (MMOV-3003) and BRP Datu Bankaw (MMOV-3004), two 170-ton offshore patrol vessels from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, were interdicted by China Coast Guard cutters 4106, 5103 and 4202 on the way to Sand Cay.
The several thousand-ton Chinese white hulls blocked the Philippine civilian vessels, which were designed to support fishing missions and scientific efforts in the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson, described the China Coast Guard’s actions as a “blatant disregard for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.”
Four rigid-hulled inflated boats were deployed by the Chinese cutters to shadow and harass the Philippine scientific team attempting to reach Sandy Cays, according to Philippine officials. A People’s Liberation Army Navy Z-8 helicopter, deployed from either the airfield at Subi Reef or a nearby warship, also utilized its downwash to force the Philippine RHIBs away.
BFAR Vessels Face Harassment from Chinese Coast Guard and PLAN Helicopter During Scientific Survey
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), supported by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), has reported an alarming incident involving harassment faced by its patrol… pic.twitter.com/tWIGgNlc5I
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) January 25, 2025
“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,” reads the statement from Tarriela.
This is the latest incident between the Philippines and China in their ongoing territorial dispute over the South China Sea. Manila’s western exclusive economic zone, also known as the West Philippine Sea, has come under Chinese occupation in Beijing’s efforts to assert its Ten Dash Line map claim. Chinese military, law enforcement and maritime militia forces sortie from Hainan, or one of the many artificial island bases in the Spratlys, regularly patrol the waters near the Philippines.
In recent weeks, China Coast Guard “monster ship” 5901 was spotted patrolling well within exclusive economic zone waters near the island of Luzon. The Philippine Coast Guard reported that Chinese cutter 3103 deployed a long-range acoustic device on BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409). Agency vessels like Cabra have maintained their patrol to monitor and push back the Chinese white hulls from the area.
The incidents at Sandy Cays and off Luzon came shortly after the first joint patrol between American and Philippine forces of 2025 in the South China Sea, which also included a carrier strike group for the first time. Officially dubbed as Multilateral Cooperative Activities, the drills aimed to “maintain stability in the region and reinforce deterrence.”
