HARASSED. Six Philippine Navy soldiers and essential cargoes are transferred by a rigid-hull inflatable boat from resupply boat Unaizah May 4 and the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Cabra to BRP Sierra Madre at 11:09 a.m. on Saturday (March 23, 2024). Hours earlier, two China Coast Guard vessels trained their water cannons on Unaizah May 4, inflicting heavy damage. (Photo courtesy of AFP)
MANILA – The Philippine resupply boat Unaizah May 4 (UM4) sustained “heavy damage” after a water cannon attack by the China Coast Guard (CCG) on Saturday as it was en route to bring fresh supplies to Filipino troops manning the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
In a post on X, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said CCG vessel 21551 initially performed a dangerous maneuver of “crossing the bow” against UM4 at 6:08 a.m.
At about 7:09 a.m., the CCG made a “reverse blocking maneuver” that caused a near collision as the resupply boat was approaching Ayungin Shoal.
The CCG then began blasting water cannons at UM4 at 7:59 a.m., “deliberately targeting and hitting the supply boat.”
According to the AFP report, the Unaizah May 4 was subjected to direct water cannoning by two CCG vessels at 8:38 a.m.
"The UM4 supply boat sustained heavy damage at around 08:52 due to the continued blasting of water cannons from the CCG vessels," the military said.
A video of the incident, posted by the AFP on X, showed that almost half of UM4's roof decking was torn off from the impact of the water blasts.
While the Chinese were subjecting the UM4 to water cannon blasts, another CCG and two Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels were also blocking the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) BRP Cabra (MRRV 4409), one of the designated escort vessels.
At about 7:20 a.m., PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, said BRP Cabra was “impeded and encircled” by CCG vessel 21551, along with the CMM vessels bearing bow numbers 00036 and 00314.
“MRRV 4409 has been isolated from the resupply boat due to the irresponsible and provocative behavior of the Chinese maritime forces, who have shown a disregard for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea,” he said in a statement.
At 9:53 a.m., BRP Cabra eventually maneuvered and reached UM4 to provide assistance to the resupply boat.
By 11:09 a.m., a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) managed to ferry six Philippine Navy soldiers and essential cargoes from UM4 and BRP Cabra.
Unaizah May 4 was unable to continue its course while a CMM vessel assisted by RHIBs also installed floating barriers to prevent further entry to the shoal.
China’s latest attack in Ayungin Shoal, located within the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, followed the March 5 harassment, using water cannon against the same resupply boat.
The vessel also sustained damage and the crewmembers were injured, compelling it to return to mainland Palawan escorted by the BRP Sindangan. (PNA)
