The incident comes a week after a similar encounter near the shoal, which lies 140 kilometers off the coast of the Philippines’ westernmost island, Palawan.

Chinese and Philippine vessels collided on Monday during a confrontation near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, the two countries said.

Maritime analysts say clashes between the Chinese and Philippine coastguards near a South China Sea shoal could become more frequent and intense as the two countries vie for control of the atoll. Two Philippine vessels on a resupply mission were damaged in a collision on Monday with a Chinese ship near Sabina Shoal,

The Philippines suspects China is attempting to reclaim land at Sabina Shoal. It has pointed to underwater mounds of crushed coral on Sabina's sandbars, which its coast guard filmed, saying Beijing is using that material to expand the shoal. Chinese state media has called such accusations "groundless".

Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships collided early August 19 near the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea reigniting tensions between the two nations over their territorial claims

U.S. INDOPACOM commander Admiral Samuel Paparo’s comments on U.S. escorts of Philippine vessels on resupply missions being “entirely reasonable” has taken the jostling in the South China Sea up a notch.