A Philippine crew member was injured in mid-September 2025 in a water cannon attack by the China Coast Guard that damaged a fisheries ship near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
Two Chinese ships used water cannons while harassing the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang, of the Philippine Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), as it delivered supplies to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman stated.
It is the latest in a series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the crucial waterway, which Beijing claims almost entirely despite a 2016 international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis. Scarborough Shoal, about 120 nautical miles from the Philippine province of Zambales, is within Manila’s internationally recognized exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The ruling also found that China illegally blocked Filipino fishing at the shoal.
The September 16 “aggressive action lasted for about 29 minutes, resulting in significant damage, including shattered glass from the aft window of the bridge” and damage to the captain’s quarters, PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela said. A crew member “sustained injuries due to the shattered glass caused by the water cannon.”
The China Coast Guard claimed the Philippine ship rammed one of its vessels. However, video shows the Philippine vessel caught between two Chinese ships and making contact with one only after it was hit by the water cannon. Additional video from inside the Philippine vessel shows its windows obscured by water, leaving the crew with limited, if any, visibility.
Tarriela said the Philippine boat sailed to safety following the encounter, which caused a short circuit aboard the vessel.
More than 60% of global maritime trade passes through the South China Sea.
In August 2025, a Chinese navy vessel collided with a China Coast Guard ship while harassing a Philippine patrol boat near Scarborough Shoal.
“Despite the hostile actions, the PCG and DA-BFAR remain committed to upholding our maritime jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea and protecting the safety and security of the Filipino fishermen,” Tarriela said, referring to the portion of the sea within the Philippines’ EEZ.
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