Philippine Coast Guard vessel confronts large Chinese fleet at scarborough Shoal
MANILA – A lone 44-meter patrol vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard, the BRP Cabra, recently faced a significant show of force from China in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, according to a post by maritime security analyst Ray Powell on September 19, 2025. Powell reported the BRP Cabra was surrounded by at least eight China Coast Guard vessels and 14 Chinese maritime militia ships deployed to safeguard China’s newly declared “nature preserve” at the shoal.
The incident underscores ongoing tensions in the South China Sea,where Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly all of the waterway,conflicting with the claims of the Philippines,Vietnam,Indonesia,Malaysia,and Brunei. Scarborough Shoal,known as Bajo de masinloc in the Philippines,is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc,Zambales,and falls within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).The Philippines refers to its claimed portions of the South China Sea as the West Philippine Sea.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) stated Tuesday it will not permit China to establish a nature reserve in Scarborough Shoal. “Whatever the adversary the South Sea Fleet would plan is beyond us,” said Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trindidad. “What we control is the actions of the Armed Forces, the Philippine navy, the Air Force, and the Philippine Army. At hindi natin papayagan na ang sa atin ay mawawala,” he added,meaning ”And we will not allow what is ours to be lost.”
Australia, Canada, and Japan have also rejected China’s announcement regarding the nature reserve.
Recent confrontations have also involved direct action against Filipino vessels. On Tuesday, a crew member aboard the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship BRP Datu Gumbay Piang was injured by shattered glass after Chinese Coast Guard vessels used water cannons during a humanitarian mission to distribute aid to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea. China has consistently refused to acknowledge the ruling.
