Philippine Coast Guard Ship Stopped Short By China Coast Guard Cutter Using Water Cannon During Medevac Of Navy Serviceman

The Philippine Coast Guard evacuated a sick or injured Navy servicemember from a disputed outpost in the South China Sea on October 8 after Chinese coast guard vessels used a water cannon and followed Philippine boats. The operation took nearly 10 hours to complete, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

The servicemember was stationed aboard BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded Philippine Navy ship at Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal.

The Philippine Coast Guard sent patrol vessel BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) from Lawak Island to evacuate the servicemember.

At around 7:30 a.m., the vessel reached a position about nine nautical miles north of the shoal and encountered China Coast Guard vessel 5306, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said.

The Chinese vessel switched on its water cannon and moved closer to BRP Cabra, approaching to about 400 yards. It had been about 1.3 nautical miles away when it began closing the distance, Tarriela said.

The water stream did not hit BRP Cabra. However, the Philippine vessel moved farther away from the shoal to keep its crew safe and stay in contact with the personnel aboard BRP Sierra Madre.

The Philippine Coast Guard had planned to transfer the patient at a point about 2.5 nautical miles northeast of the grounded ship. It said Chinese vessels prevented BRP Cabra from reaching that location, forcing it to wait about 13 nautical miles north of the shoal for several hours.

At 12:52 p.m., China Coast Guard vessel 5306 challenged BRP Cabra over the radio and called for the transfer to take place farther from the outpost, according to Tarriela.

The Philippine Coast Guard changed its plan and continued the evacuation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines under Philippine authority.

At 1:46 p.m., BRP Cabra sent out a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) carrying coast guard personnel, a maritime security team member and medical staff. Within a minute, the Chinese coast guard launched its own RHIB, which followed the Philippine boat on its 9.2-nautical-mile journey to the transfer point.

BRP Sierra Madre also sent out two inflatable boats. One carried the patient, while the other carried escort personnel.

At around 3:15 p.m., the patient and a companion were transferred to the Philippine Coast Guard boat.

During the return journey, China Coast Guard vessel 21585 followed the Philippine RHIB at a distance of about 500 yards. Vessel 5306 remained about 600 yards off its port side towards the rear, Tarriela said.

The RHIB reached BRP Cabra shortly before 5 p.m. without further incident.

A Coast Guard medical officer checked the patient’s vital signs and gave him intravenous fluids. The patient was reported to be stable and was being taken to the port of Buliluyan for further treatment.

The Philippine Coast Guard said such a transfer would normally take only a few hours. It said the water cannon incident, the change in the meeting point and the continued presence of Chinese vessels delayed the evacuation.

Meanwhile, China gave a different account of the incident. China Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue told the state-owned Global Times that Chinese forces had allowed the Philippines to evacuate an injured person from a vessel illegally grounded at Second Thomas Shoal.

Jiang said the Chinese coast guard had permitted the transfer by small boat on humanitarian grounds and provided the necessary assistance in accordance with the law.

In a separate statement, China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu urged the Philippines to stop what China described as distorting facts and misleading public opinion.

The dispute over Second Thomas Shoal dates back to 1999, when the Philippine Navy deliberately grounded the Second World War-era landing ship BRP Sierra Madre on the reef. The ship serves as a Philippine military outpost, with a small detachment of marines stationed aboard it.

Resupply trips and personnel changes at the outpost have repeatedly led to confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels. The China Coast Guard has previously tried to stop Philippine personnel from reaching the ship, including through close manoeuvres and water cannon use.

The Philippines says Ayungin Shoal lies within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and a 2016 arbitral award. China maintains its own claims in the South China Sea, which the Philippines disputes.

References: manilastandard, balitangmarino