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Philippines bypass China cutters to feed garrison on disputed shoal
来源：shippingazette 编辑：编辑部 发布：2023/09/01 17:02:14
THE Philippines has said it managed to get supplies to a small Marine detachment aboard the grounded Sierra Madre in the disputed South China Sea, despite continued harassment from China's Coast Guard, reports Aljazeera.
The Philippines grounded the Sierra Madre on Second Thomas Shoal, known as Anyungin Shoal by the Philippines, nearly 25 years ago in an effort to reinforce its claim to the atoll, which lies 124 miles from the Philippine island of Palawan.
A number of marines live on board the rusting ship and Manila carries out regular rotation and supply missions to the vessel, but earlier this month their mission was met with water cannon fired from Chinese coast guard cutters.
The incident led to an international outcry with the United States warning such threats to the status quo risked undermining regional peace.
Coastguard officials said this time China used smaller vessels that continued to "block, harass and interfere¡± with the Philippines' two resupply ships, but were able to outmaneuver the boats to get through.
"We are not going to back down in exposing their aggressive behaviour in the West Philippine Sea,¡± said Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman.
The Sierra Madre was grounded in 1999 as the Philippines sought to shore up its claim to Second Thomas Shoal.
China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has become increasingly assertive in its claims to the waterway, developing artificial islands and military outposts, and deploying its coastguard, maritime militia and fishing vessels against rival claimants.
The Philippines is among several Southeast Asian countries with overlapping claims to the sea, which it calls the West Philippine Sea.
In 2012, China wrested control of Scarborough Shoal, known as Panatag Shoal by Filipinos, a popular fishing ground within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone under international law.
The Philippines sought an international court ruling on the so-called nine-dash line on which China bases its South China Sea claim, with the United Nations-backed court announcing in 2016 that the line had no legal basis.
The Philippines grounded the Sierra Madre on Second Thomas Shoal, known as Anyungin Shoal by the Philippines, nearly 25 years ago in an effort to reinforce its claim to the atoll, which lies 124 miles from the Philippine island of Palawan.
A number of marines live on board the rusting ship and Manila carries out regular rotation and supply missions to the vessel, but earlier this month their mission was met with water cannon fired from Chinese coast guard cutters.
The incident led to an international outcry with the United States warning such threats to the status quo risked undermining regional peace.
Coastguard officials said this time China used smaller vessels that continued to "block, harass and interfere¡± with the Philippines' two resupply ships, but were able to outmaneuver the boats to get through.
"We are not going to back down in exposing their aggressive behaviour in the West Philippine Sea,¡± said Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman.
The Sierra Madre was grounded in 1999 as the Philippines sought to shore up its claim to Second Thomas Shoal.
China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has become increasingly assertive in its claims to the waterway, developing artificial islands and military outposts, and deploying its coastguard, maritime militia and fishing vessels against rival claimants.
The Philippines is among several Southeast Asian countries with overlapping claims to the sea, which it calls the West Philippine Sea.
In 2012, China wrested control of Scarborough Shoal, known as Panatag Shoal by Filipinos, a popular fishing ground within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone under international law.
The Philippines sought an international court ruling on the so-called nine-dash line on which China bases its South China Sea claim, with the United Nations-backed court announcing in 2016 that the line had no legal basis.