The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has reported another close distance maneuvering involving a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel on March 2, 2022, when one of its ships, BRP Malabrigo, was conducting maritime patrol operations in Bajo de Masinloc.
According to a press release issued by the PCG on Sunday, its personnel observed a CCG vessel with the bow number 3305 performing a close distance maneuver of about 21 yards near BRP Malabrigo as the PCG vessel was cruising in the surrounding waters off Bajo de Masinloc.
This limited BRP Malabrigo’s maneuvering room, a blatant violation of the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS).
The incident was the fourth recorded close distance maneuvering incident between CCG vessels near Bajo de Masinloc, according to PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio M. Abu.
On May 19, 2021, the PCG-manned BFAR vessel MCS-3005 reported the first close-range maneuvering incident involving a CCG vessel with bow number 3301.
The second and third incidents involved two CCG vessels (3301 and 3103) that engaged in close-range maneuvering with BRP Capones (MRRV-4404) and BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) on June 1 and 2, last year, during the PCG’s maritime capability enhancement exercises in Bajo de Masinloc.
“The behavior of the involved CCG vessels increased the risk of collision with four of our capital ships,” Abu said.
The PCG promptly coordinated with the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) “to address this issue through rules-based and peaceful approaches,” he said.
Meanwhile, DOTr Secretary Art Tugade has urged the PCG to continue carrying out its mandate of promoting the protection of life and property at sea and executing all applicable laws inside Philippine waters in support of national development.
“We are fully aware of dangerous situations at sea, but these will not stop our deployment of assets and personnel in Bajo de Masinloc, Philippine Rise, and other parts of the country’s exclusive economic zones (EEZ),” Abu said.
“We will continue to work silently and diligently for we are serving Filipino fishermen at sea. As long as they feel safe seeing us during their fishing operations, we know that we are doing our job well,” he added.