Disputed reef | |
---|---|
Other names | Đá Ba Kè (Vietnamese) 蓬勃堡 Péngbó Bǎo (Chinese) Abad Santos Shoal (Philippine English) Buhanginan ng Abad Santos (Filipino) |
Geography | |
Location | South China Sea |
Coordinates | 07°50′N 111°40′E / 7.833°N 111.667°E |
Archipelago | Spratly Islands |
Administration | |
District | Trường Sa District |
Township | Trường Sa Township |
Claimed by | |
Bombay Castle, also known in Vietnamese: Đá Ba Kè; Mandarin Chinese: 蓬勃堡; pinyin: Péngbó Bǎo; [1] Abad Santos Shoal ( Filipino: Buhanginan ng Abad Santos, lit. 'Sandbank of Abad Santos'), is a reef with a lighthouse in the Rifleman Bank of the southern Spratly Islands. It is occupied by Vietnam, [2] but also claimed by China (PRC) and Taiwan (ROC).
Bombay Castle consists of a submerged reef located between 07°50′N 111°40′E / 7.833°N 111.667°E and 07°56′N 111°42′E / 7.933°N 111.700°E (between 07°50′N 111°40′E / 7.833°N 111.667°E and 07°56′N 111°42′E / 7.933°N 111.700°E) at the northern end of Rifleman Bank. [3] [4] At its shallowest point, it has a depth of 3 metres (9.8 ft) consisting of sand and coral. [5] It is 80 miles (130 km) east of Huyền Trân ( Alexandra Bank) and nearly 80 miles (130 km) west of An Bang ( Amboyna Cay). [6]
Bombay Castle has a 22.5 metres (74 ft) tall lighthouse on steel pilings that was built in 1995. The lighthouse is two storied, with accommodation for the lighthouse keepers and a dish antenna. [7] [8]
The reef is named after the East Indiaman Bombay Castle. [9]
In addition to the lighthouse (DK1/21), three other DK1 rigs ("economic, scientific and technological service stations") have been constructed by Vietnam in this area. The current (2015) cluster has 3 rigs in use.