No injuries were reported and no fishermen were detained.
Coastguard engaged the Jing Yuan 626 fishing vessel as it fished in Argentina’s exclusive economic zone on Thursday, Feb. 22, according to a statement by the Argentine Naval Prefecture.
Shortly prior to the incident, four boats flying the Chinese flag attempted to ram into Argentina’s coast guard boats. The Chinese embassy did not respond to requests for comment.
The coast guard decided to “carry out machine-gun and cannon fire and impede the vessel’s ability to navigate.”
In a video released on Saturday, an Argentine officer can be heard warning the Chinese vessel before the shots are fired.
“You’re responsible for the safety of your crew and your ship. You are about to receive direct fire on the bow part of your ship,” the officer warns.
When no response comes from the Chinese ship, the officer gives an order to fire.
“Bow, command bridge. Are we ready?” the officer says. “Okay, free fire one shot to the boat’s bow over the water line.”
