Philippines and China: Ships collided at new trouble spot in the South China Sea | News from the South China Sea

Everyone is blaming each other for the early morning incident on Sabina Reef in the Spratly Islands.

Ships from China and the Philippines collided in a confrontation in the disputed South China Sea. Both countries blamed each other for the incident.

The collision occurred at 3:24 a.m. local time on Monday (7:24 p.m. GMT on Sunday) on the Sabina Reef, which lies about 140 kilometers (86 miles) west of the Philippine island of Palawan, the nearest major landmass.

Chinese Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu accused the Philippines of “illegally” entering the waters around the disputed atoll and deliberately colliding with the Chinese ship.

“The Chinese Coast Guard has taken control measures against the Philippine vessels in accordance with the law,” Gan said.

The Spratly Islands, which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, are located more than 1,300 kilometers (808 miles) from the Chinese island of Hainan.

Manila's National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea disputed the Chinese account, saying the blame lay with China and that Beijing's ships had carried out “unlawful and aggressive maneuvers” near the shoal, damaging two coast guard vessels.

The confrontation “resulted in collisions that caused structural damage to both coasts of the Philippines. [PCG] ships,” it said. Photos were published showing the damage to the ships.

Manila said the coast guard vessels – Cape Engano and Bagacay – were on their way to resupply personnel stationed on Flat Island when the collision occurred.

In addition to the damage to the Cape Engano, it was said that the Bagacay was rammed “twice” on the port and starboard sides by a Chinese coast guard vessel, causing “minor structural damage”.

“The PCG stands firm in its responsibility to ensure the security of our maritime domain while addressing any threats to our national interests,” the statement said.

Tensions are rising between Manila and Beijing. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea below the so-called nine-dash line, although an international court ruled in 2016 that this claim was unfounded.

The collision in Sabina Reef occurred less than two weeks after an aerial incident between the Chinese and Philippine militaries in Scarborough Reef, which Beijing seized from Manila in 2012.

In July, the two countries said they had reached a “provisional agreement” on the Second Thomas Reef after repeated disputes over resupply missions for a group of Filipino sailors living aboard a warship that has been grounded there since 1999.

The Philippine Coast Guard dispatched one of its main patrol vessels, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, to Sabina in April after Philippine scientists discovered underwater piles of crushed coral in the atoll's shallows, raising suspicions that China may be planning to build a structure on the atoll.

The Chinese coast guard later dispatched a ship to Sabina.

Sabina is located near Second Thomas Shoal.