Two U.S. Navy warships were deployed near Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) on Wednesday, just two days after a collision between two Chinese vessels while pursuing a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the area, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76) and the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) conducted freedom of navigation and overflight patrols around the shoal.
According to Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the West Philippine Sea, a PLA Navy vessel with hull number 568 was observed shadowing the U.S. ships.
To confirm the presence of foreign vessels in the area, the PCG—on orders from Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan—dispatched a Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft from Manila at 7:30 a.m. for a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight. The aircraft’s mission was to verify Chinese maritime activity and locate the China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel damaged in the recent collision.
“Around 8:20 a.m., the PCG Caravan monitored the presence of two U.S. Navy ships, DDG-76 (USS Higgins) and LCS-20 (USS Cincinnati), approximately 102 nautical miles from Zambales and about 30 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc,” Tarriela said.
“Based on a statement from the U.S. government, these two U.S. naval vessels are conducting freedom of navigation and overflight patrols,” he added.
While the PCG aircraft was conducting its MDA flight, it was intercepted by a Chinese fighter jet that flew as close as 500 feet laterally from the plane.
“For 20 minutes, it conducted dangerous maneuvers at that distance and even flew directly above the Coast Guard aircraft at an approximate height of 200 feet,” Tarriela reported.
In a separate statement, China claimed it had expelled the USS Higgins after it allegedly “intruded” into waters surrounding Huangyan Dao, China’s name for Bajo de Masinloc.
“The navy of the PLA Southern Theater Command mobilized forces to monitor, issue warnings, and expel the vessel in accordance with laws and regulations,” said Senior Captain He Tiecheng, a spokesperson for the PLA Southern Theater Command, in a statement published by Chinese state media outlet Global Times.
The PCG also monitored four CCG vessels near Bajo de Masinloc, identified by hull numbers 5303, 4202, 3502, and 5306. Notably absent were the previously damaged CCG-3104 and PLA Navy vessel 164.
“Based on our MDA flight, it’s very difficult to determine whether they are still conducting a search and rescue operation in the area where we believe the incident occurred,” Tarriela said.
According to the West Philippine Sea monitor, one CCG vessel and at least nine Chinese maritime militia ships were seen executing search patterns off Bajo de Masinloc, fueling speculation about possible casualties from the collision.
