Chinese Coast Guard rams Philippine vessel in South China Sea clash– www.foxnews.com

Tensions in the South China Sea escalated again Friday after a Chinese Coast Guard vessel collided with a Philippine government ship, an encounter captured on video that prompted competing accounts from Manila and Beijing.

The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat was distributing fuel to Filipino fishermen when the collision occurred at 11:13 a.m., roughly 54 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan province — an area Manila says is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed crew members shouting, “Brace for impact!” moments before the collision. Photographs taken afterward showed bent and detached railings, damaged metal supports and debris scattered across the Philippine ship’s deck. No injuries were reported.