Philippine Coast Guard News

The Philippines will continuously deploy vessels in the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, its coast guard said on Monday after a Philippine ship returned to port after a five-month deployment there."We will sustain presence over these waters," Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson Jay Tarriela told a press conference.The PCG's vessel, Teresa Magbanua, was deployed to Sabina Shoal in April to monitor what Manila suspects to be China's small-scale land reclamation activities in the area.

The Philippines said it was sending a vessel to Sabina Shoal to replace a coast guard ship that returned to port on Sunday after a five-month deployment at the contested feature in the South China Sea, in a swap that would likely irk China.Beijing had demanded the Philippines withdraw the 97-metre (318-foot) coast guard vessel Teresa Magbanua it claimed was "illegally stranded" at the atoll, which it asserts it owns as part of its broader claim to nearly the entire South China Sea."The Philippine side's actions have seriously infringed on China's territorial sovereignty…

As two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups patrolled the Indian Ocean this week in an explicit effort to deter Iran from striking Israel and sparking a major regional conflict, a very different military messaging effort was underway in a luxury conference centre in Manila.The 35th annual Military Law and Operations Conference organised by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – running from Aug. 27-30 – is held every year in a different country in the region – but its presence in the capital of the Philippines this week was likely far from a coincidence.Since late 2023…

The Philippines and China exchanged accusations of intentionally ramming coast guard vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, the latest in an escalating series of clashes in the vital waterway.The collision near the Sabina Shoal was their fifth maritime confrontation in a month in a longstanding rivalry.Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Portions of the waterway…

China released on Friday its first survey report of the South China Sea's disputed Sabina Shoal, saying there was no scientific or factual basis for reef damage claims made by the Philippines.In the report by the natural resource ministry conducted from May to July, it found that key habitat index values in the reef area were within the suitable growth range of the coral reef system."As for the claim concocted by the Philippines that China's artificial accumulation of coral debris at Xianbin Reef has caused a large number of coral bleaching and death in the region…

As two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups patrolled the Indian Ocean this week in an explicit effort to deter Iran from striking Israel and sparking a major regional conflict, a very different military messaging effort was underway in a luxury conference centre in Manila.The 35th annual Military Law and Operations Conference organised by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – running from Aug. 27-30 – is held every year in a different country in the region – but its presence in the capital of the Philippines this week was likely far from a coincidence.Since late 2023…

The Philippines said China's Coast Guard was not helping efforts to build confidence in the South China Sea, after accusing it of ramming and damaging its vessels in the latest in a succession of altercations.The Philippines urges China to refrain from aggressive actions and adhere to international law, said Alexander Lopez, a spokesperson for the country's maritime council, an inter-ministerial body that formulates policy on the South China Sea.The latest incident took place near the Sabina Shoal…

The Philippines and China accused each other on Monday of ramming vessels and performing dangerous maneuvers in the South China Sea, the latest flare-up after the two nations had agreed to try to ease tensions and manage disagreements at sea.China's Coast Guard said in a statement a Philippine vessel which had ignored its repeated warnings "deliberately collided" with a Chinese vessel in an "unprofessional and dangerous" manner in the disputed waterway early on Monday.The Philippines…

China's coast guard said it was monitoring Philippine patrol and fishing vessels that have gathered around the contested Sabina Shoal, citing China's "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.China's coast guard had been monitoring the vessels since Saturday, spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement late on Sunday.Gan said patrol boats from the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and multiple fishing boats have gathered in…

A marine tanker carrying industrial fuel sank in rough seas off the Philippines on Thursday, causing the death of a crew member and an oil spill that could spread to waters off the capital Manila, officials said.Sixteen of the 17 crew members of MT Terra Nova have been rescued, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said, after the ship capsized off the coastal town of Limay in Bataan province.The coastguard said they found the body of a previously missing crew member in the sea off Limay town in Bataan province…

A marine tanker carrying industrial fuel sank in rough seas off the Philippines on Thursday, causing a large oil spill as coast guard rescuers search for a missing crew member, officials said.Sixteen of the 17 crew members of MT Terra Nova have been rescued, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said, after the ship capsized off the coastal town of Limay in Bataan province. A search is underway for the missing sailor."There is already oil spill. Right now, we cannot dispatch our resources because of strong winds and high waves…

China said on Monday "illegal" beaching of Philippine warships at the Nansha islands in the South China Sea had "gravely damaged" the coral reef ecosystem in the area, as both countries tussle over disputed territory at atolls in the vast waterway.China's Ministry of Natural Resources, in a comprehensive report, said Philippine warships have been "illegally beached" around Second Thomas Shoal near Nansha Islands for a long time, "and it has seriously damaged the diversity, stability…

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Saturday that China's largest coastguard vessel has anchored in Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, and is meant to intimidate its smaller Asian neighbour.The China coastguard's 165-meter 'monster ship' entered Manila's 200-nautical mile EEZ on July 2, spokesperson for the PCG Jay Tarriela told a news forum.The PCG warned the Chinese vessel it was in the Philippine's EEZ and asked about their intentions, he said."It's an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard," Tarriela said.

A Philippine group leading a civilian supply mission in the South China Sea reportedly delivered food and fuel to Filipino fishermen despite being shadowed by Chinese vessels, its officials said on Thursday, calling it a "major victory".A 10-member team was sent by the Atin Ito (This is Ours) group to the Scarborough Shoal a day ahead of a commercial flotilla of five commercial vessels and 100 small fishing boats that departed on May 15. Ultimately, the rest of the flotilla turned…

The Philippines said on Saturday it has deployed ships to a disputed area in the South China Sea, where it accused China of building "an artificial island" in an escalating maritime row.The coast guard sent a ship "to monitor the supposed illegal activities of China, creating 'an artificial island'," the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a statement, adding two other vessels were in rotational deployment in the area.Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela told a forum there had been "small-scale reclamation" of the Sabina Shoal…

The Philippines on Tuesday accused China's coast guard of harassment and of damaging two of its boats in a disputed area of the South China Sea, rejecting Beijing's position that it had expelled those vessels from the hotly contested shoal.The Philippines' task force on South China Sea issues said a coast guard ship and a fisheries vessel were damaged by water cannons used by Chinese coast guard ships, as the vessels headed to Scarborough shoal to assist Filipino fishermen in the area.The fisheries vessel was rammed thrice both by the Chinese coast guard and maritime vessels…

China's coast guard said on Monday it "expelled" a Philippine coast guard ship and another vessel from waters adjacent to the Scarborough Shoal, Chinese state media reported.The coast guard did not provide additional information, according to the report from Chinese state media broadcaster CCTV, but the incident was the latest to occur between the two countries at the disputed atoll in the South China Sea.Beijing and Manila have repeatedly clashed in recent months at the submerged reef…

The Philippines and China traded accusations on Sunday over a collision of their vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalate.The Philippine coast guard accused China of firing water cannons and ramming resupply vessels and a coast guard ship, causing "serious engine damage" to one, while China's coast guard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce…

A fire that broke out Thursday aboard the cargo ship Ken off the Philippines has been extinguished, the Philippine Coast Guard said.The vessel, owned by Pherwin Shipping Corp., reportedly caught fire near Castilla Anchorage Area in Sorsogon at around 11 a.m. local time.The Coast Guard said it coordinated with the Philippine Navy and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for joint search and rescue and firefighting operations.According to the eight crewmembers on board, the fire started in the vessel's mess hall. No injuries were reported.

The Philippines on Monday accused Chinese coastguard vessels of "intentionally" colliding with its vessels on a resupply mission in a disputed part of the South China Sea, as ties deteriorated between the Southeast Asian U.S. ally and Beijing.Both sides traded accusations after the latest incident on Sunday, which was the most serious yet in the waters around the disputed Second Thomas shoal, though no one was harmed.China said on Sunday that the Philippine boats "bumped dangerously" with the coastguard vessels and "Chinese fishing vessels" fishing there.On Monday…

An oil tanker registered under the flag of the Marshall Islands was suspected to have been involved in an 'accidental collision' with a Philippine boat in the South China Sea that killed three fishermen, the Philippine coast guard said on Wednesday.Philippine coast guard spokesperson Armando Balilo said that the incident was under investigation but that coast guard monitoring pointed to the Pacific Anna, registered under the flag of Marshall Islands, as the likely vessel that collided with the fishing boat.The coast guard said in a statement the Philippine boat "failed to detect" the approaching foreign vessel because of poor weather, resulting in a collision that caused the boat to capsize.

The Philippines on Sunday accused China's coast guard of installing a "floating barrier" in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying it prevented Filipinos from entering and fishing in the area.Manila's coast guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources "strongly condemn" China's installation of the barrier in part of the Scarborough Shoal, Commodore Jay Tarriela, a coast guard spokesperson, posted on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter.The barrier blocking fishermen from the shoal was depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities…

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance maritime cooperation at the ICG Headquarters in New Delhi, India, on August 22.PCG Commandant, CG Admiral Artemio M Abu, and ICG Director General, DG Rakesh Pal, presided over the signing ceremony. The aim of the MoU is to strengthen the professional bond between the two organizations by sharing best practices, conducting joint exercises, and enhancing training collaborations.