Philippines says coast guard ship, supply boat hit by Chinese vessels near disputed shoal

A Philippine government task force said the collisions occurred off Second Thomas Shoal as two Philippine supply boats escorted by two Philippine coast guard ships were heading to deliver food and other supplies to the atoll in the face of a years-long Chinese blockade. The shoal is one of the most fiercely contested areas in the busy South China Sea, where China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have had overlapping territorial claims for decades.

Oct 22, 2023 - 11:30
Philippines says coast guard ship, supply boat hit by Chinese vessels near disputed shoal
A Philippine government task force said the collisions occurred off Second Thomas Shoal as two Philippine supply boats escorted by two Philippine coast guard ships were heading to deliver food and other supplies to the atoll in the face of a years-long Chinese blockade. The shoal is one of the most fiercely contested areas in the busy South China Sea, where China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have had overlapping territorial claims for decades.