Vietnamese Coast Guard ship 4032 had its railing damaged on May 13 after being rammed by a Chinese vessel around China’s oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981, which was illegally placed into Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

At 8:30am, while approaching the western area of the rig to confirm Vietnam’s sovereignty and ask Chinese forces to leave the area, the ship was besieged by three Chinese ships.

One of them fired high-pressure water cannons while the Chinese coast guard vessel 46001 crashed into the left side of the Vietnamese ship, causing damage to three ventilation fans and smashing a 10m-long part of the railing.

In the meantime, a Chinese coast guard vessel also blasted a Vietnamese fisheries surveillance boat with high-pressure water.

According to the Vietnam Coast Guard High Command, China has so far illegally deployed 86 ships of various kinds to the area.

They include military, coast guard, marine surveillance, marine patrol and fisheries ships backed by rescue, transport, refuelling and iron fishing ships.-VNA