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Pete Comment
Following footage (above) of 2 Chinese ships colliding a humiliated China may use deep fake imagery editing to show "Philippine aggression" against a Chinese Coast Guard vessel. 31 seconds into the video above two crewman (probably killed :( can be seen in the bow of the smaller Chinese vessel immediately before the larger Chinese vessel collides with it.
Things could escalate between China and the Philippines.
Report Australia's ABC News reports August 11, 2025.
Two Chinese vessels have collided [on Monday August 11] in a dramatic incident in the South China Sea.
The incident left one boat severely damaged and the fate of some of its crew members unknown.
Philippines officials said the Chinese boats were chasing a Filipino vessel before the incident occurred.
...The incident occurred near the contested Scarborough Shoal [South China Sea] as the Philippine Coast Guard escorted boats distributing aid to fishermen in the area, spokesman [Philippine] Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.
..."The (China Coast Guard vessel) CCG 3104, which was chasing the (Filipino coast guard vessel) BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky manoeuvre from the (Philippine) vessel's starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy warship [Number 164]" [Commodore] Tarriella said in a statement.
...At a later press briefing, [Commodore] Tarriella said that crew members aboard the smaller Chinese vessel had been visible in its front section just before the collision.
"We're not sure whether they [Chinese sailors] were able to rescue those personnel who were in front prior to the collision. But we are hoping that these personnel are in good condition," he told reporters.
...He said the Chinese crew "never responded" to the Philippine ship's offer of assistance.
...China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not confirm or deny the collision when asked about it by [Agency France Press] AFP.
...Monday's incident is the latest in a series of confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.
More than 60 per cent of global maritime trade passes through the disputed waterway...
17 comments:
Another reason why the Singapore Navy added permanent fenders on its maritime security vessels and recent OPV order - they may get rammed (accidental or on purpose) while conducting boarding and inspection operations, or when confronting belligerent intruders in disputed territorial waters.
https://www.seaforces.org/marint/Singapore-Navy/Patrol-Vessel/Sentinel-class.htm
Hi Shawn at 8/12/2025 3:12 PM
A wise Singaporean measure.
Hopefully Australia will also institute this practice - as Chinese vessels moving south into Australia's region become more common.
Cheers Pete
Singapore had to play this game in 2018 when Malaysia suddenly moved one of its maritime borders during Mahathir’s last stint as PM, and there was an LMV parked on this disputed spot as Malaysian police boats kept trying to dash in. In terms of small craft, Singapore now has faster and heavier armed small interceptors, including armed Venus 16 USVs.
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/spats-straits-between-malaysia-singapore
Oh, the CCU Seal carrier was unveiled at the recent 60th National Day Parade.
https://armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2025/singapore-deploys-new-combatant-craft-underwater-to-support-special-forces-in-stealth-beach-landings
Meanwhile, other countries in the region also keep a nervous eye on China:
"On 31 July, the Center for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS) released a new report showcasing the findings of 26
wargames evaluating a potential Chinese blockade of Taiwan.
A blockade, something that has received much less attention
than the possibility of a full-scale invasion, could have
similarly far-reaching consequences. There are many
possibilities for how a blockade could play out. Chinese
actions could range anywhere from having the Coast Guard
and other paramilitary personnel board ships bound for
Taiwan, to carrying out kinetic attacks against Taiwanese,
Japanese and American ships and targets. Taiwan,
meanwhile, could choose to be passive or attempt to break
the blockade with military force. The extent of allied
involvement could also vary."
Source:
https://www.overtdefense.com/2025/08/11/china-blockaded-taiwan-new-csis-wargame-explores/
Hi all,
CNN has a slightly jingoistic report on this incident that does point out how close the 7,500 ton Type 052D destroyer came to crashing into the 821 tonne BRP Suluan and triggering a military response from the Philippines and US.
“Analysts said the collision is a black eye for the Chinese military that could have turned into something much worse, especially because the Philippines is a mutual defense treaty ally of the United States, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said the death of a Filipino sailor in an incident of this type could be seen as an “act of war.”
The PLA “destroyer could have struck the much smaller Philippine Coast Guard ship instead. This would have almost certainly resulted in injury and death – even the sinking of the Philippine vessel,” said Ray Powell, a South China Sea expert and director of SeaLight at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University.””
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/11/asia/south-china-sea-china-warship-collision-intl-hnk
CNN’s article points out that there were 7 CCG vessels in the area, so the PLAN destroyer could have stayed in overwatch.
Jame’s has published an article (paywall) from its Singapore based correspondent that claims the Suluan incident is a deliberate escalation to involve bigger PLAN destroyers using a ram- bow tactic, where previous incidents were with white hull CCG cutters.
This escalation could provoke the PN to deploy its small force of modern corvettes and frigates, leading to more ‘bumping’ incidents.
https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/defence-news/sea/south-china-sea-collision-points-to-expansion-in-chinas-ram-bow-tactics
Thanks Shawn at 8/12/2025 5:51 PM
I was unaware of the 2018-19 territorial disagreement you and lowyinstitute describe.
Where is the CCU Seal carrier made? Sweden, US or UK?
Cheers Pete
Hi Shawn at 8/13/2025 5:19 PM
Escalation China vs Philippines or even China vs US would be bad news.
Regards Pete
Hi Anonymous at 8/14/2025 2:46 AM
Regardless of the video footage of the collision China might claim its Coast Guard sailor deaths were the result of Philippine Coast Guard or even Philippine Navy actions.
Also China might claim collision(s) occurred due to Philippine "trespassing" in "Chinas" South China Sea.
This would be bad news with escalation perhaps resulting.
Regards Pete
It’s from JFD (James Fisher & Sons Defense), part of a 180 year old company that builds rescue submarines - South Korea and Singapore operate them.
https://www.jfdglobal.com/tactical-diving-vehicles/carrier-seal/
I can see the Ukrainian Special Forces using these to land troops in Crimea, perhaps even as USV ‘motherships’ to avoid the lag and jamming on satellites uplinks.
Hi Pete,
The Philippines boundary marker could be the death of a coast guardsman - but if that destroyer intended to ram the CAG Suluan in the stern, then the deliberate deaths of Philippine CSG and civilian media, on a livestream, would be undeniable, and a step the PLAN would take just before they flood the area with military assets and declare the area a PRC possession.
Thanks Pete and Shawn C. Apart from the strategic risks of escalation I thought the video was terrible for China in what it implied about their standard of seamanship. The DDG Guilin in a three year old Type 052D (7500t) their latest model. Yet the bridge crew evidently couldn’t keep sufficient situational awareness to their own CCG Corvette (1500t) while chasing a much smaller vessel (400t) at 25+ knots. China may be able to build large numbers of modern ships quickly. But training skilled captains and crews still takes time.
Hi Anon,
It also shows that there is a lack of tactical coordination between the two services trying to pincer a smaller ship in-between them, but the CSG could have used two “cutters” with the PLAN DDG standing off menacingly close by.
As is, they have now triggered a USN FONOPs with a Burke-class destroyer USS Higgins. Higgins has ‘lingered’ in the area and is now joined by the USS Cincinnati.
The Philippines has demonstrated that social media marketing is powerful tool, for while the PRC has deployed multiple PLAN and CCG assets to the area, the Philippines has successfully countered by embedding media with their ships and aircraft, to livestream PRC behaviour.
Indeed Anonymous at 8/14/2025 5:58 PM
Poor Chinese seamanship and lack of command and control exhibited here may be more worrying if it extends to Chinese:
- SSBNs
- military/naval aircraft, and
- large long range missile ops.
Regards Pete
Hi Shawn C at 8/15/2025 12:22 PM
Totally agree with your first para.
Interesting USS Higgins and Cincinnati are on the scene so quickly. The US would be calculating this show of force would reduce the chances of China escalating rather than increasing the chances.
I agree the Philippines has won the social media marketing "war" even though the Philippines' naval and coast guard forces are far weaker than China's.
Cheers Pete
Thanks Shawn, for offline providing:
"There’s also quite a good review on the Chinese official perspective, including close up images of the bow damage to the Cutter.
https://youtu.be/cosPA3hQ-1Y?si=MsYWSikozxvzLRtY "
Cheers Pete
Hi Pete,
For those who don’t intend to watch this video, it’s a critique of a Global Times article by the “What’s going on with shipping” YouTube channel - the content creator is a retired merchant seaman who has sailed through the SCS numerous times.
He points out the damage to the PRC cutter likely took out the ships anchor chain storage and paint locker (on a USN ship), and zooms in to show how much damage the ship took above the waterline - and the three crew who were at the prow at the moment of impact.
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