South China Sea: 3 Filipino fishermen die near Scarborough Shoal after being rammed by foreign vessel
The fishermen died after their boat was rammed by a still-unidentified foreign commercial vessel, the Philippine coastguard said on Wednesday
It said the incident occurred about 160km from Scarborough Shoal on Monday and that 11 crew members had survived the sinking
Three Filipino fishermen died after their fishing boat was rammed by a still-unidentified foreign commercial vessel while crossing the South China Sea, the Philippine coastguard said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on Monday while the boat was transiting waters 85 nautical miles (157km) northwest of the disputed Scarborough Shoal, it said in a statement. Eleven crew members survived after the boat sank.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said on Wednesday that the sinking was still under investigation, but vowed in a post on social media platform X to “exert every effort to hold accountable those who are responsible for this unfortunate maritime incident”.
[An image shared on social media by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr showing the recovery of Filipino fishermen’s bodies following the “unfortunate maritime incident”. Photo: X/@bongbongmarcos]
In a post on its Facebook page, the Philippine coastguard said it had responded to a “maritime incident involving a Filipino fishing boat rammed by an unidentified foreign commercial vessel transiting the vicinity waters off Bajo de Masinloc”, as the Philippines calls Scarborough Shoal.
A Filipino crew member of a vessel called Dearyn told officials that the ramming occurred around 4:20am on Monday while they were fishing with their “mother boat” 85 nautical miles (157km) northwest of the shoal.
The mother boat submerged, resulting in the death of its three crew members, including its boat captain, the coastguard said.
The 11 crew members who survived the maritime incident used their eight service boats to leave the waters and transport the deceased to Cato barangay in Infanta municipality, Pangasinan province, the coastguard said.
They arrived around 10am on Tuesday and reported the incident to the nearest coastguard substation for assistance.
The Philippines’ defence chief last week vowed to stand up to “bullying” in the South China Sea and defend Manila’s territorial claims in the disputed waterway.
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Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr also further said in an interview on Tuesday that the Philippines will set up more military bases to protect its coastal territory.
“These will be joint sites of the coastguard, Philippine navy, Philippine air force and civilian agencies,” Teodoro told local media outlet GMA News, adding that the new locations are yet to be identified and the groundwork for the project will start next year.
Under their 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, the Philippines this year gave the US access to four additional sites near the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, bringing the number of military installations Washington can use in the archipelago nation to nine. The pact allows the US to rotate in troops for prolonged stays, as well as build and operate facilities on its bases.
Teodoro’s remarks followed recent tensions between China and the Philippines that were rekindled by an August incident in which China deployed water cannons at Philippine vessels resupplying the BRP Sierre Madre, a grounded Philippine vessel at the Second Thomas Shoal used by the Southeast Asian nation as a makeshift base.
[A Chinese coastguard ship tries to block the way of a Philippine supply boat, left, as it heads towards Second Thomas Shoal, on August 22. Photo: AP]
Manila last week said its personnel had removed a Chinese floating barrier near the Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing spot and one of Asia’s most contested maritime features, calling it a violation of international law and a hazard to navigation.
The strategic shoal, named after a British cargo vessel that ran aground on the atoll in the 18th century, was seized in 2012 by China, which has maintained a constant presence of coastguard and fishing trawlers there ever since.
China has rejected the Philippine version of events over the barrier, while the United States has weighed in with support behind Manila and vowed to honour its treaty commitments to defend its treaty ally if attacked.
The Philippine coastguard did not elaborate on the incident or provide details of the vessel it said had rammed the Filipino crew.
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