Three Filipino Fishermen Hurt as Chinese Vessels Use Water Cannon at Sabina Shoal

Three Filipino fishermen were injured and two Philippine fishing vessels sustained what the coast guard called significant damage after Chinese coast guard ships used high pressure water cannon and blocking maneuvers near Sabina Shoal, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement on December 13. The PCG said the confrontation occurred the previous day in the fish rich waters often patrolled by Filipino small scale fishers.

PCG spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said the fishermen were “targeted with water cannon and dangerous blocking maneuvers,” and that the three sustained physical injuries including “bruises and open wounds.” The coast guard reported that roughly 20 Philippine fishing boats were present when the Chinese cutters engaged the flotilla. Philippine officials and local reports described the damage as the result of “high pressure water cannon blasts,” and some accounts said personnel in smaller rubber boats cut anchor lines of several Philippine vessels.

Manila dispatched two patrol boats to the area. The PCG said the patrol vessels reached Sabina Shoal on Saturday morning to render medical assistance and deliver provisions to the fishing flotilla. Photographs published with the reports show three fishermen receiving medical treatment aboard the vessel Malapascua. The fishing support vessel MV Pamalakaya was also on scene to extend the operating time of the fishermen as part of the Philippines Kadiwa fishing initiative, officials said.

The episode adds to a string of confrontations between Chinese maritime forces and Philippine fishers in contested parts of the South China Sea. Sabina Shoal, also referred to as Escoda Shoal, has been described in multiple reports as a productive fishing ground where Manila based crews routinely operate despite Beijing asserting broad claims over the waterway. An international arbitration tribunal ruled in 2016 that sweeping maritime claims by Beijing in the South China Sea were without legal basis, but China continues to press its claims and to deploy coast guard vessels to enforce them.

There was no on the record response from Chinese authorities reported in the immediate aftermath. The Philippine Coast Guard statement and reporting by Reuters, DW, USNI and local outlets form the basis for the casualty and damage figures cited by Manila.

Economically the incident highlights immediate risks to livelihoods and to local seafood supply. Small scale fishers supply a large proportion of domestic seafood and support coastal economies that have limited alternative employment. Repeated interdictions and material damage erode catch volumes and increase operating costs as crews replace gear and repair boats. Investors and insurers also watch such maritime flashpoints because escalations can raise shipping and operational risks across wider parts of the South China Sea.

Policy questions for Manila include whether to intensify patrols around traditional fishing grounds, seek stronger multilateral pushback through regional partners, or pursue formal diplomatic protest. For coastal communities the immediate need is medical care and repairs, but the longer term challenge is protecting access to fishing grounds while avoiding incidents that could widen into broader diplomatic or economic confrontation.