Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, stated that the incident was unprecedented; it was the first time that Chinese maritime assets "deliberately rammed, sank, and abandoned a Filipino fishing vessel in the West Philippine Sea (the name used by the Philippine government to refer to parts of the South China Sea)." He further added that the incident could prove to be a tipping point in Sino-Filipino relations in the South China Sea; if no satisfactory action is passed on the part of China, it could "herald a new phase in Philippine-China interaction in the West Philippine Sea: one where we (the Philippines) will be forced out of the West Philippine Sea." F/B Gem-VerF/B Gem-Ver is a Filipino wooden-hulled fishing "banca" owned and operated by Arlinda B. Dela Torre of San Roque, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. It is in length with a beam of and gross tonnage of 14.38. A diesel engine with a single screw powers it. The boat was built in 2000. Yuemaobinyu 42212Yuemaobinyu 42212 (MMSI No. 412471286) is a Chinese steel-hulled fishing vessel operating from Guangdong Province, China. It is in length and has a beam of . Investigation Joint Philippine Coast Guard - Maritime Industry Authority investigation The crew believed that the ship that rammed their vessel was Chinese. Still, it was unable to provide the ship's bow number to the Philippine Coast Guard. On 20 June 2019, the joint Philippine Coast Guard - Maritime Industry Authority investigation was completed. Its contents were made public on 6 July 2019. Key points therein stated that: The incident occurred within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone, approximately 140 nautical miles northwest of Piedras Point, Palawan. The F/B Gem-Ver had two white anchor lights fore and aft, a flashing white light positioned on its mast, and was equipped with a ship radar reflector. The weather was fair, with starry skies and a first-quarter moon. The sea was calm, and visibility was "slightly clear." Hence, no environmental factors could have prevented the Chinese vessel from seeing the Filipino fishing boat. The report concluded that the Chinese vessel "failed to take appropriate action to avoid the risk of collision." After the collision, the Chinese vessel maneuvered and halted "approximately 50 meters from the F/B Gem-Ver" with fishing lights on and was "considered to have direct knowledge of the distress situation" yet