Breaking News: Chinese destroyer and coast guard ship damaged in confrontation with Philippine Coast Guard.

Images and videos shared by Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard on X (formerly Twitter), show the sequence of an incident that occurred on August 11, 2025, off Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The footage shows a China Coast Guard vessel, identified as CCG-3104, pursuing the Philippine patrol vessel BRP Suluan at high speed before colliding with a Type 052D destroyer of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, designated DDG-164. The impact caused severe damage to CCG-3104, rendering it inoperable, while the destroyer sustained a large breach on its forward port side. Despite the Philippine Coast Guard helping, including medical aid and recovery of personnel who might have gone overboard, the Chinese crew did not respond.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Screenshots from the video of the collision between the two Chinese vessels (Picture source: X Channel Jay Tarriela)

The incident takes place in the context of ongoing tensions between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea, a strategic area that Beijing claims almost entirely despite a 2016 international ruling rejecting this assertion. Scarborough Shoal, located about 240 km from the Philippine Island of Luzon, has been a major point of contention since China took control of it in 2012. Encounters in the area are frequent and often involve intimidation maneuvers, the use of water cannons, and blocking actions. The area is also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, making it a focal point of regional tensions. For Manila, maintaining a presence in these waters is tied to defending sovereign rights, ensuring the safety of its fishermen, and securing access to vital maritime resources.

On August 11, BRP Suluan was escorting vessels carrying fuel and supplies for around 30 Philippine fishing boats as part of the “Kadiwa Para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda” operation. During this mission, the vessel was targeted by a water cannon, which it successfully evaded, before CCG-3104 attempted an interception maneuver that led to its collision with DDG-164. Beijing stated that it had “expelled” Philippine vessels from the area, describing the operation of its coast guard as “professional, standardized, legitimate, and legal,” without mentioning the collision.

DDG-164, involved in the incident, is a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer built by Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company in Dalian. With a full-load displacement of 7,500 tons, it measures 157 meters in length (161 meters for the extended flight deck variant), has a beam of 17 meters, and a draft of 6 meters. Its CODOG propulsion system combines two QC-280 gas turbines with two MTU-20 V956 TB92 diesel engines, enabling a maximum speed of 30 knots. It is equipped with a 64-cell vertical launch system capable of deploying long- and medium-range surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, land-attack missiles, and anti-submarine torpedoes. Additional armament includes a 130 mm naval gun, HHQ-10 short-range air defense systems, Type 730 or Type 1130 CIWS, triple torpedo tubes, and decoy launchers. Its sensors include an H/LJG-346A AESA radar, multiple search and fire control radars, an H/SJD-9 hull-mounted sonar, an H/SJG-311 active/passive towed array sonar, and an H/RJZ-726 electronic warfare system.

For the Philippines, the incident highlights the increasing risks involved in interactions with Chinese forces in contested waters and underscores the potential for accidental escalation. Manila has stated it will continue maintaining a naval presence to assert its maritime rights despite Beijing’s warnings. The collision, occurring on one of the world’s busiest maritime routes, serves as a reminder that any such confrontation in this strategic theater could have broader regional or even international repercussions.