China Fires Water Cannon at Philippine Vessel at Scarborough Shoal

A Chinese coast guard ship fired a water cannon at a Philippine government ship near Scarborough Shoal on Thursday, keeping up the blast for more than two minutes, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

A second Chinese ship blocked a Philippine ship carrying fuel and food to Filipino fishers at the shoal. Manila called it a dangerous maneuver. The Philippine Coast Guard said both actions violated the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. No injuries. No damage confirmed.

The standoff happened a few hours before Manila hosted a regional security forum. Top diplomats from both China and the United States attended. The Philippines and China had been in talks about a possible reset in bilateral ties, according to BusinessWorld Online.

Scarborough Shoal sits in the South China Sea. Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela announced the incidents on Thursday.

For the wider shipping context, our guides explain how conflicts change shipping routes, tracking vessel activity by region, and why ships may be absent from a tracking map.