Jay Tarriela, Philippine coastguard (PCG) spokesperson, said on social media that its vessels had “faced dangerous manoeuvres and blocking” from Chinese coastguard and Chinese maritime militia as they supported a resupply mission to military troops. This led to a collision that caused “minor structural damage to the PCG vessel”, he said in a statement.

Footage of the incident, shared by the Philippines, showed its crew rushing to place a buffer between the two Coast Guard vessels as they collided. Their Chinese counterparts stand filming the incident.