The philippine coast guard (pcg) supported the bureau of fisheries and aquatic resources' (bfar) fuel subsidy mission for filipino fisherfolk in the west philippine sea:asa Shoal. In a statement on Friday, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said BFAR vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat ran aground in the shoal's shallow waters on Thursday while approaching a group of Filipino fishing vessels to distribute fuel to about 15 to 20 boats.
According to Philippines News Agency, the vessel was in the area under the government's Kadiwa para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda (KBBM) Program in the Kalayaan Island Group. Nearby fishing boats initially tried to tow the vessel free, but the effort failed because of the morning low tide and their limited pulling power.
The PCG dispatched BRP Malabrigo from Buliluyan Port in Bataraza, Palawan, with Coast Guard divers on board. The ship arrived around noon and laid out a 600-meter towing line using a rigid-hulled inflatable boat. BRP Malabrigo safely pulled the grounded vessel free at around 3:34 p.m. despite rough seas, southwesterly winds of 22 to 27 knots, and large waves.
While the salvage operation was underway, the PCG ship monitored a China Coast Guard (CCG) aircraft conducting apparent aerial surveillance over the grounded vessel. Following the refloating, the vessel's master decided to continue the mission to other areas to complete the fuel subsidy delivery.
In a separate statement on Friday, Tarriela said the PCG conducted a Maritime Domain Awareness flight over Bajo de Masinloc on Thursday in support of the same KBBM mission, which delivers subsidized diesel and food packs to Filipino fishing boats. The PCG deployed its Piper Navajo aircraft, PCG 302, from San Fernando City Airport in La Union to provide aerial surveillance and monitor the safety of Filipino fisherfolk and the BFAR vessel serving them.
During the flight, PCG 302 monitored BFAR vessel MV Mamalakaya's distribution of fuel to 35 Filipino fishing boats gathered around the vessel near Bajo de Masinloc. The aircraft also monitored three CCG vessels, one People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) warship, and three Chinese Maritime Militia vessels in the vicinity.
The PLA-N warship issued a radio challenge to PCG 302, which responded that it was conducting a lawful maritime patrol within Philippine maritime zones in accordance with international law. PCG 302 continued its mission unimpeded. Commodore Tarriela noted that the continued presence of Chinese maritime forces around Bajo de Masinloc is inconsistent with the 2016 Arbitral Award and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which affirmed the shoal as a traditional fishing ground of Filipino fisherfolk.
