By Anthony Marcus for Eurasia Business News, August 11, 2025. Article n°1704
Chinese warships collided with each other while chasing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. The incident occurred during a tense standoff as the Chinese Navy guided missile destroyer Guilin and a Chinese Coast Guard cutter CCG-3104 were pursuing the Philippine cutter BRP Suluan, which was on a resupply mission aiding Filipino fishermen in the area.
As the Chinese Coast Guard vessel tried to overtake the Philippine ship at high speed and sprayed it with water cannon, it suddenly made a sharp turn to starboard and collided with the Chinese Navy destroyer. The collision caused substantial damage to the bow of the Chinese Coast Guard cutter, rendering it effectively unseaworthy, while the destroyer sustained scraping damage along its port bow and side.
The Philippine Coast Guard documented the incident with video footage showing the Chinese vessels boxing in the Filipino ship before the collision happened. The encounter took place about 10.5 nautical miles east of the Bajo de Masinloc area, within a highly contested maritime region claimed by both China and the Philippines.
The Philippine side offered assistance and medical help to any injured Chinese crew, but the Chinese did not respond to this offer. This event is part of ongoing heightened tensions and repeated confrontations between Chinese forces and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely, despite an international tribunal ruling against those claims.
This collision is notable for illustrating the increasing recklessness and risk of miscalculation in this volatile maritime dispute area, where aggressive naval maneuvers have become common but a direct collision between Chinese vessels is rare and dangerous.
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© Copyright 2025 – Eurasia Business News. Article no. 1704
Eurasia Business News 