THE National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) on Monday confirmed the collision between two Philippine Coast Guard vessels — BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) and BRP Cape Engaño (MRRV-4411) following unlawful and aggressive maneuvers by CCGV-3104 off Escoda Shoal.
The first incident happenedaround 3:24 am as theBRP Cape Engaño was navigating about 23.01 nautical miles southeast of Escoda Shoal, said NTF-WPS spokesperson Jonathan Malaya.
The Filipino ship was subjected to aggressive maneuvers by CCGV-3104, resulting in a collision with the starboard beam of the vessel, creating a hole in the deck with an approximate diameter of five inches.
The second, more serious incident took place at 3:40 a.m. approximately 21.3 nautical miles southeast of Escoda Shoal.
BRP Bagacay was rammed twice on both its port and starboard sides by CCGV 21551, leading to minor structural damage.
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