According to the Taiwanese Coast Guard, a Taiwanese cargo vessel collided with a Chinese navy ship off Kinmen on Wednesday, causing minor damage to both ships. The Taiwanese vessel was damaged, but there were no injuries reported.
Specifically, on July 31, the Coast Guard received a report according to which the Taiwanese bulk carrier “Youtai No. 1” was suspected of colliding with the Lufang warship, south of Dongnan. The Coast Guard allegedly reported that it contacted with the Chinese vessel, which hit and ran after the collision.
Yet, the vessel didn’t identify itself, whereas the captain said the vessel was damaged as well and needed to return to Xiamen Port for repairs. The Coast Guard informed that it managed to get in contact with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship, when the master said that his ship had been damaged in the collision and needed to return to Xiamen Port for repairs.
Moreover, the vessel refused to stop and submit to inspection and turned off the communications with the Coast Guard.
Concluding, the Coast Guard stated that they established contact with Yutai No. 1 and confirmed that the hull was damaged, but there were no safety concerns and the crew was unharmed. The patrol boat then escorted the cargo ship to Liaoluo Port.
Similar to the unidentified Chinese vessel that didn’t further contact with the Taiwanese Coast Guard, another hit and run incident took place in June, when a Filipino fishing boat sank after being hit by an alleged Chinese vessel, in Reed Bank, in the South China Sea.
