The islets/reefs are part of the PH claimed Kalayaan group which includes Ayungin Shoal...


Vietnam rapidly builds up South China Sea reef, satellite data shows — BenarNews

Vietnam has been developing a reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, expanding its reclaimed area more than four times in less than a year, satellite imagery shows.

Dredging and landfill has been carried out at Barque Canada Reef since the end of 2021 but gathered pace in the past year, according to satellite data obtained by Radio Free Asia.

As of early November 2023, the total landfill area of the main feature and two smaller ones amounted to nearly 1 square kilometer, or 247 acres, compared to 58 acres at the end of 2022. The presence of dredgers and barges suggests construction work is underway at the reef.

It is still, however, much smaller than any of China’s so-called Big Three artificial islands — Fiery Cross Reef, Mischief Reef and Subi Reef — that the country developed and fully militarized.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) think tank at the Center for Strategic and International Studies based in Washington, D.C., said in December last year that Vietnam has accelerated reclamation work in the South China Sea, bringing the total of new land in the last 10 years to 540 acres.

Apart from Barque Canada Reef, works are also being carried out on several other features, such as Pearson Reef, Namyit Reef, Tennent Reef and Sand Cay.

Even with the new reclamation in 2023, it is still far less than the 3,200 acres of land created by China between 2013 and 2016.