The BRP Sierra Madre has sat on Second Thomas Shoal since the late 1990s, a World War II tank-landing ship deliberately grounded to assert a Philippine claim. On the weekend of August 5 and 6, 2023, Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannon at two civilian boats trying to resupply the marine detachment aboard the wreck. One supply boat was hit. Only one reached the shoal.
ABC News reported that six Chinese coast guard ships and two militia vessels blocked the Philippine-chartered boats. Two Philippine coast guard escorts were also threatened with water cannon at close range. Three Chinese navy ships stood by nearby. Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine coast guard described the scene. Jonathan Malaya of the National Security Council called it a David and Goliath situation.
The Sierra Madre began life as the USS LST-821, served in Vietnam as the USS Harnett County, and was transferred to the Philippine navy. Manila grounded it on Second Thomas Shoal — known as Ayungin in the Philippines, Renai Reef in China — after China occupied nearby Mischief Reef. The shoal lies about 200 kilometres west of Palawan, inside the Philippines’ 370-kilometre exclusive economic zone. More than 1,000 kilometres separate it from Hainan island.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea. A 2016 arbitral ruling rejected the legal basis of that claim. Beijing ignored it. Manila says Chinese vessels routinely block or shadow Philippine patrols and disrupt resupply missions. In 2014 a Chinese blockade forced the Philippines to airdrop supplies.
On Monday August 7, China’s defence ministry accused Manila of reneging on an explicit promise to remove the ship. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. denied any such agreement two days later. “If there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now,” he said in a video statement. Malaya challenged Beijing to produce evidence. “For all intents and purposes, it is a figment of their imagination,” he said.
U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday. The Pentagon said the alliance was discussed. Washington renewed its warning that the 1951 mutual defence treaty covers armed attacks on Philippine public vessels and forces in the South China Sea. Japan and France, through their embassies in Manila, expressed concern and reiterated support for the 2016 ruling.
Security analysts say China wants control of Second Thomas Shoal, a potential site for another military base. Retired Philippine navy vice commander Rommel Ong said Manila must re-establish sea control around the shoal or resupply missions remain vulnerable. Collin Koh of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said Beijing has the means to escalate but calculates the political risk of triggering the U.S. treaty.
The marines on the Sierra Madre depend on those resupply runs. The rusting hulk remains in commission, technically an extension of Philippine sovereign territory.
