Sabina Shoal, also known as Escoda Shoal (Filipino: Buhanginan ng Escoda); Mandarin Chinese: 仙賓礁/仙宾礁; pinyin: Xiānbīn Jiāo; Vietnamese: Bãi Sa Bin, is an atoll in the NE of Dangerous Ground in the Spratly Islands. The Philippines puts it under the jurisdiction of Brgy. Pag-asa, Kalayaan, Palawan.[1] It is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Vietnam.
Disputed atoll | |
---|---|
Sabina Shoal | |
Other names | Escoda Shoal (Philippine English) Buhanginan ng Escoda (Filipino) 仙賓礁 / 仙宾礁 Xiānbīn Jiāo (Chinese) Bãi Sa Bin (Vietnamese) |
Geography | |
Location | South China Sea |
Coordinates | 9°45′N 116°28′E / 9.750°N 116.467°E |
Archipelago | Spratly Islands |
Administration | |
Region | Southwestern Tagalog Region |
Province | Palawan |
Municipality | Kalayaan |
Claimed by | |
Sabina Shoal lies in position 09° 45' N 116° 28' E,[2] 123.6 nautical miles from Palawan Island.[3] It lies 56 nautical miles southwest of Carnatic Shoal, with two main parts and an area of 115 square kilometres (44 sq mi).
The eastern half of Sabina Shoal consists of reefs awash, while the western half consists of banks 3.7 to 8.3 meters deep, and reefs enclosing a lagoon.[4] The features are well within the Philippines' EEZ closest to Palawan island.
In 1995, soon after occupying Mischief Reef, China (PRC) installed 3 buoys near Sabina Shoal. They were confiscated by the Philippines.[5]
On April 27, 2021, during a joint maritime patrol operations of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the area, seven Chinese maritime militia vessels were spotted anchored at the atoll. After several challenges from BRP Cabra of PCG, the militia vessels left the area.[6][7]