PCG rescues fishers stranded in Chinese rocket drop zone off Scarborough

Fishing boat FB Cassandra is seen stranded in Scarborough Shoal on July 17, 2025. — Photo from the Philippine Coast Guard

MANILA, Philippines — Several fisherfolk, who were stranded in a part of the West Philippine Sea where debris from Chinese rocket are expected to fall, were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The 17 crew of fishing vessel FB Cassandra were rescued approximately 59 nautical miles northeast of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Thursday, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea.

Tarriela said BRP Teresa Magbanua personnel, who were patrolling the area since July 15, responded to the scene following a report of the fishing boat’s distress “due to a damaged propeller caused by an encounter with a floating log.”

The crew made a distress signal around 10:17 a.m., prompting the multirole vessel personnel to tow the vessel back to Mariveles, Bataan.

“Throughout the operation, BRP Teresa Magbanua navigated in challenging weather conditions,” Tarriela said in a statement on Friday, noting that the wave that time was up to six feet, with wind speeds reaching up to 30 kilometers per hour.

FB Cassandra arrived in Bataan at 8:00 a.m. on Friday.

Tarriela noted the rescue operation is urgent “because FB Cassandra became stranded within the expected drop zone for China’s rocket launch test.”

READ: PCG denies China’s claim of provocation near Bajo de Masinloc

The dropping of Chinese rocket debris was scheduled between July 15 and 17.

During that period, the Philippine Space Agency said one of the debris’ landfall was at 33 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc, along with three other possible locations. A drop zone refers to the estimated area where debris from a scheduled space object or high-powered rocket may fall.

READ: Chinese rocket debris ‘likely fell’ in West Philippine Sea – PhilSA

Chinese state media agency Xinhua reported that the Long March 7 Y10 rocket was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan, China, carrying the Tianzhou-9 spacecraft.

“Aware of the potential threat, the PCG quickly took action to tow the vessel to safety,” he said. /das