The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported another harassment incident by the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) during a marine scientific survey and sand sampling mission on Friday, January 24.

In an X (formerly Twitter) post on Saturday, PCG Spokesperson Comm. Jay Tarriela stated that the incident occurred while patrol vessels BRP Datu Pagbuaya and BRP Datu Bankaw were en route to Sandy Cays.

Three CCG vessels—4106, 5103, and 4202—reportedly conducted aggressive maneuvers against the BFAR vessels. The skilled seamanship of the BFAR crew ensured that no accidents took place during the dangerous encounter.

JUST IN: Inilabas ni @coastguardph Spokesperson for the WPS Commo. @jaytaryela sa kaniyang X post ang video footage at photos ng panghaharass ng Chinese Coast Guard sa BFAR at PCG vessels habang patungo ng Sandy Cays kahapon | DZRH News

📹: Commo. @jaytaryela pic.twitter.com/6T1SA7qBSu

— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) January 25, 2025

"During the mission, the BFAR vessels encountered aggressive maneuvers from three Chinese Coast Guard vessels 4106, 5103 and 4202, which exhibited blatant disregard for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (COLREGs)," Tarriela said.

Moreover, a People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) helicopter, identified by tail number 24, further complicated the situation by hovering dangerously above the BFAR RHIBs, creating hazardous conditions from the propeller wash.

Tarriela stated that due to the harassment and the Chinese maritime forces' disregard for safety, BFAR and PCG were forced to suspend their survey operations and were unable to collect sand samples at Sandy Cays.

"Both BFAR and PCG remain committed to their mandates and will take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their personnel and vessels in the pursuit of scientific research and resource management," Tarriela said in closing.