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Chinese ships, including a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel, have again blocked Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, where the dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded since 1999.
American maritime expert Ray Powell on Saturday said the CCG vessel with bow number 5203 and two Chinese maritime militia ships moved to block access to Ayungin Shoal as PCG vessels BRP Cabra and Sindangan passed south of Ayungin Shoal and Panganiban (Mischief) Reef on Friday night.
In a message to the Inquirer, Powell said the PCG vessels, “did not approach the BRP Sierra Madre.”
“They passed by the [Ayungin] shoal and continued north,” he said.
