The China Coast Guard handed over 15 Filipino survivors, along with the bodies of two crew members who died, to the Philippine Coast Guard on Sunday, January 25, 2026, after pulling them from the Devon Bay, a bulk carrier that capsized in the South China Sea. The vessel, registered in Singapore and carrying iron ore, had gone down three days earlier.
The turnover took place about 311 kilometres west of Tambobong, Pangasinan. Rigid-hull inflatable boats moved the survivors and the dead between the two countries’ ships, because the open sea was running high.
According to the statement, the Devon Bay was carrying 21 Filipino crew members when it capsized on the night of January 22 while sailing from Zamboanga del Norte to Yangjiang in southern China. A China Coast Guard vessel near the area answered the distress call and rescued 15 people, recovering two bodies. The first report reached the Chinese military around 1.30 am on January 23, and by then the PCG had been told the ship was listing at about 25 degrees.
The survivors and the two bodies were loaded onto the BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701), which was scheduled to dock at Pier 13 in the Port Area of Manila early on Monday, January 26. PCG spokesperson Capt. Noemie Cayabyab thanked the China Coast Guard for the humanitarian assistance.
Four crew members are still missing. A second PCG vessel, BRP Cape San Agustin (MRRV-4408), joined an Islander aircraft in searching the area where the ship was last seen. The PCG said the two bodies would be turned over to health authorities and the families once the vessel reached Manila.
Officials confirmed the ship’s flag state was involved. Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said it was investigating the sinking, which left two crew members dead and four unaccounted for, and that no Singaporeans were on board. The vessel was built in 2013.
The rescue unfolded near Scarborough Shoal, among the most contested maritime features in the region. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, and the shoal is a regular flashpoint. Days earlier, on January 20, the Chinese military said it drove off a Philippine government aircraft it accused of illegally entering the airspace above the atoll.
K Line, the agency that operated the bulk carrier, sent its condolences to the families of the two dead crew members and said it had activated its emergency response team.
Sources
- China Coast Guard Returns 17 MV Devon Bay Crew Members to PCG | THE MANILA JOURNAL
- MPA investigates sinking of Singapore-flagged ship in South China Sea | The Straits Times
