Philippine Coast News

The militaries of the Philippines and the United States sailed together this week at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, Manila's armed forces said on Tuesday, in joint exercises aimed at easing cooperation between the treaty allies.Military engagements between them have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington in response to China's growing presence in the South China Sea.The 11th such drill between the United States and…

The Chinese military said on Tuesday it had organised naval and air forces to warn and drive away a Philippine government aircraft which "illegally intruded" into the airspace over Scarborough Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea."We urge the Philippine side to immediately stop infringing upon China's rights and cease provocations and irresponsible hype," a spokesperson for the military's Southern Theatre Command said in a statement.The Philippine Embassy in Beijing, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Maritime Council did not immediately respond to requests for co

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) issued its 2025 annual report on piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia highlighting that 132 incidents of piracy and armed robbery were reported to in 2025 - a 23% increase over the 107 incidents reported in 2024.One hundred and eight of these were located in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS), a 74% increase over 2024 numbers. This is the highest number of incidents recorded in the SOMS during the 19-year period from 2007 to 2025.The incidents were mostly opportunistic theft committed during hours of darkness between 8pm and 6am.

Officer Lee Tae Young, a first mate from the Republic of Korea, has been awarded the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea, in recognition of his heroic actions that saved 12 fellow crew members from the Geum Seong No. 135 when it sunk in November 2024. He was honored during a special ceremony recognizing seafarers held in London on November 24, 2025, in the margins of the IMO Assembly taking place from November 24 to December 3, 2025. IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez applauded Mr.

China's coast guard held a National Day flag-raising ceremony on a ship in the waters off the disputed Scarborough Shoal, vowing to "stand guard" over the atoll, a major flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups and maritime clashes with the Philippines.Both countries claim the triangular feature in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, but it is effectively under Beijing's control.

China's Coast Guard said on Tuesday it fired water cannon at Philippine ships near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, and the Philippines accused Beijing of "aggressive" action that injured one person.The confrontation comes a week after China approved plans to turn the shoal into a national nature reserve, a move that defence analysts have said would test Manila's response over the 150 sq km (58 sq mile) triangular chain of reefs and rocks.The Philippine coast…

China's defence ministry accused Philippine Coast Guard vessels on Friday of "dangerous manoeuvres" in response to reports of a collision earlier this week between two Chinese vessels near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.The Philippine vessels' actions "seriously endangered the safety of Chinese vessels and personnel," ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin.Jiang neither confirmed nor denied that there had been a collision involving two Chinese vessels on Monday."We demand that the Philippine side immediately stop its infringing and provocative rhetoric and actions," Jiang said.

China's military said on Wednesday it monitored and "drove away" a U.S. destroyer that sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, while the U.S. Navy said its action was in line with international law.The first known U.S. military operation in at least six years within the shoal's waters came a day after the Philippines accused Chinese vessels of "dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference" during a supply mission around the atoll.In a statement, the…

The Philippines expressed serious concern on Tuesday over what it described as "dangerous manoeuvres and unlawful interference" by Chinese vessels during a coast guard supply mission for Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal on Monday."Their actions not only posed a grave danger to Philippine personnel and vessels, but also resulted in the unfortunate collision between the two Chinese vessels," the Philippine foreign ministry said in a statement.A Chinese navy ship collided…

The Philippines has deployed a coast guard vessel and an aircraft to challenge and escort a Chinese research ship it said was conducting illegal marine scientific research activities within the country's exclusive economic zone.The Chinese Research Vessel (CRV) Tan Suo 3 was detected entering the country's EEZ on May 1, 2025, around 92 nautical miles off the Philippines' northern Ilocos coast, the PCG said in a statement on Monday."Their irregular movements were deemed inconsistent with the freedom of navigation and indicative of marine scientific research activities, which violate the soverei

China and the Philippines accused each other on Tuesday of dangerous manoeuvres in a hotly disputed shoal in the South China Sea, in the latest confrontation over the waterway.A Chinese coast guard vessel sped up and manoeuvred on Monday to block the navigation route of a Philippine vessel around 36 nautical miles off the Scarborough shoal, the Philippine Coast Guard said."This incident highlights the CCG's non-compliance with the international regulations ...

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has responded to a fire on board the Castphill XV in the vicinity waters of Patungan Maragondon, Cavite.At approximately 4:27AM on March 30, BRP Boracay (FPB-2401) successfully rescued seven crew members, including the vessel’s captain, who sustained only minor injuries.At around 7:35AM, the Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Maragondon, Cavite, rescued an additional five crew members, who were then transported to CGSS Maragondon for medical attention.The Castphill XV departed Delpan in Manila on Saturday, headed to Culion in Palawan.

The Philippines said on Saturday it has suspended a scientific survey in the South China Sea after two of its fisheries vessels faced "harassment" and aggressive behaviour from China's coast guard and navy.Manila and Beijing have had a series of escalating confrontations in disputed waters of the South China Sea. China claims almost all the strategic waterway - through which $3 trillion in commerce moves annually - overlapping sovereignty claims by the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.Two Philippine fisheries vessels…

The Philippine navy said on Friday its ships were holding drills near a contested shoal in the South China Sea, a day after Manila and Beijing agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite ongoing disputes.The exercise around the Scarborough shoal, one of Asia's most hotly contested areas, was aimed at enhancing the navy's capability to secure what it said were Philippine waters and the country's territorial integrity, the navy said in a statement.It described…

The Philippines has deployed air and sea assets of its military and coast guard in its exclusive economic zone to monitor China's largest coast guard vessel, calling the ship's presence an act of Chinese "intimidation, coercion and aggression".According to the Philippine coast guard, the 165 m (541 ft) long vessel 5901, referred to by the Philippines as "the monster", was 65 to 70 nautical miles off the coast of the province of Zambales on Sunday."We have all our assets pointed at this monster ship.

Mining company Rio Tinto has reported that a deck fitter on board its bulk carrier RTM Zheng He, travelling from China to Western Australia, went missing.A deck fitter, named Gel Aguaviva, was reported missing on December 26, 2024.Rio Tinto said an extensive and ongoing search and rescue operation has been conducted over the past seven days, with the company working in collaboration with RTM Zheng He ship and crew manager, Anglo Eastern, and relevant authorities.The Philippine Coast Guard is leading the search and rescue operation."Our thoughts are with Gel's family…

China and the Philippines gave conflicting versions on Wednesday of a maritime confrontation around a contested shoal in the South China Sea, the latest row in a longstanding dispute between the neighbours.Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons and side-swiped a Manila fisheries bureau boat on the way to deliver supplies to Filipino fishermen in the area, according to Philippines officials, a move that drew condemnation from the United States.The incident follows a diplomatic…

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Chinese navy and coast guard vessels had taken "aggressive actions" against a routine patrol by it and the fisheries bureau near the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Wednesday.A Chinese coastguard fired a water cannon at a PCG vessel "aiming directly at the vessel's navigational antennas", Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the South China Sea, said in a statement.Philippine vessels also faced "blocking, shadowing, and dangerous manoeuvres" from Chinese navy and coastguard ships, he added.Tensions between China and the Philippines over

The U.S. military is supporting Philippine operations in the South China Sea via a special task force, a U.S. embassy official said on Thursday, an initiative Manila said involves intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.Task Force-Ayungin, named after the Philippine designation for the contested Second Thomas Shoal, was first mentioned this week by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit to the Philippines."Task Force-Ayungin enhances U.S.-Philippine alliance coordination and interoperability by enabling U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard is watching an "uptick" in Chinese and Russian navy activity around Alaska and the northern Pacific but encounters to date have been very professional, a senior commander said on Friday.Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander, noted on a call with regional reporters while visiting Japan that his country and Russia share a maritime boundary line between Alaska and the Russian Far East"Russian naval vessels, certainly we've seen an uptick in their presence in that particular region.

The Philippines will continuously deploy vessels in the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, its coast guard said on Monday after a Philippine ship returned to port after a five-month deployment there."We will sustain presence over these waters," Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson Jay Tarriela told a press conference.The PCG's vessel, Teresa Magbanua, was deployed to Sabina Shoal in April to monitor what Manila suspects to be China's small-scale land reclamation activities in the area.

The Philippines said it was sending a vessel to Sabina Shoal to replace a coast guard ship that returned to port on Sunday after a five-month deployment at the contested feature in the South China Sea, in a swap that would likely irk China.Beijing had demanded the Philippines withdraw the 97-metre (318-foot) coast guard vessel Teresa Magbanua it claimed was "illegally stranded" at the atoll, which it asserts it owns as part of its broader claim to nearly the entire South China Sea."The Philippine side's actions have seriously infringed on China's territorial sovereignty…

As two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups patrolled the Indian Ocean this week in an explicit effort to deter Iran from striking Israel and sparking a major regional conflict, a very different military messaging effort was underway in a luxury conference centre in Manila.The 35th annual Military Law and Operations Conference organised by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command – running from Aug. 27-30 – is held every year in a different country in the region – but its presence in the capital of the Philippines this week was likely far from a coincidence.Since late 2023…