Barque Canada Reef

Barque Canada Reef
Disputed reef
Barque Canada Reef
Barque Canada Reef is located in Spratly Islands
Barque Canada Reef
Barque Canada Reef
Other namesLizzie Weber Reef
Bãi Thuyền Chài (Vietnamese)
Terumbu Perahu (Malay)
Mascarado/Magsaysay Reef (Philippine English)
Bahura ng Mascarado/Magsaysay (Filipino)
柏礁 Bǎi jiāo (Chinese)
Geography
LocationSouth China Sea
Coordinates8°10′0″N 113°18′0″E / 8.16667°N 113.30000°E / 8.16667; 113.30000 (Petley Reef)
ArchipelagoSpratly Islands
Area1.66 km2 (0.64 sq mi)
Administration
DistrictTrường Sa District
TownshipTrường Sa Township
Claimed by
 China
 Malaysia
 Philippines
 Taiwan

Barque Canada Reef (Filipino: Bahura ng Mascarado/Magsaysay); Malay: Terumbu Perahu; Thuyền Chài Reef (Vietnamese: Bãi Thuyền Chài); Mandarin Chinese: 柏礁; pinyin: Bǎi jiāo, is a reef on the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The reef has been occupied by Vietnam since 1988. It is also claimed by China (PRC), Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan (ROC).[1][2][3]

Barque Canada Reef is a shallow, long (nearly 30 km) and narrow (less than 4 km at its widest point) coral atoll in the Dangerous Ground zone. The nearest island is Amboyna Cay, just over 20 nautical miles to the south-west.[4]

The government of Vietnam began a major project to develop Barque Canada Reef in 2022.[5] This activity involved dredging and reclaiming land, as well as erecting new structures such as harbors and sea walls.[5] Just in 2024, its territory artificially increased from 238 acres[6] (96.31 hectares) to 412 acres[7] (166.73 hectares). [8] an area equivalent to 75% of Monaco.

  1. ^ (in Vietnamese)Mai Thanh Hai (April 26, 2015). "Trường Sa sau ngày tiếp quản - Kỳ 4: Đau đáu Chữ Thập, Châu Viên, Gạc Ma". Thanh Niên. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  2. ^ D. J. Hancox; John Robert Victor Prescott (1995). A Geographical Description of the Spratly Islands and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys Amongst Those Islands. IBRU. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-897643-18-1.
  3. ^ "Barque Canada Reef". cil.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Université nationale de Singapour, « Barque Canada Reef [archive] », sur Université nationale de Singapour". cil.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  5. ^ a b Tan, Rebecca; Karklis, Laris (9 August 2024). "Vietnam accelerates island building to challenge China's maritime claims". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ "30 Chinese maritime militia vessels spotted in Rozul Reef; Vietnam dredging continues in Kalayaan Islands". GMA News Online. 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  7. ^ "Vietnam on Record Pace for Spratly Island Construction in 2024, Report Says". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  8. ^ "Hanoi in High Gear: Vietnam's Spratly Expansion Accelerates". Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. Retrieved 2024-10-17.