The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — A second commercial satellite image has corroborated the presence of a previously reported object near the entrance of Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), while also showing a feature consistent with a floating barrier across the lagoon entrance, according to US-based maritime transparency initiative SeaLight. In an update released on Thursday, SeaLight said newly available satellite imagery captured by VantorTech through SkyFi on May 27, 2026, showed a small bright object at the same location where another commercial satellite image taken on May 28 had detected an unidentified structure near the shoal's entrance. The group said the latest image strengthened evidence that the object remained in place for at least two consecutive days but emphasized that available imagery did not yet establish whether the object remained at the site today. SeaLight first disclosed the existence of the object on June 1 after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. raised concerns over a structure near the entrance of the disputed shoal. According to SeaLight, the May 27 image also revealed a curved linear feature spanning the lagoon entrance that was consistent with a floating barrier, similar to access-control measures previously documented in the area. The update comes as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) continues to assess the nature of the object. AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. was quoted as saying that military analysts estimated the structure measured approximately six by six meters and were still determining whether it was floating or fixed. SeaLight said it likewise could not confirm whether the object was fixed or floating, identify its function, or conclusively determine who placed it there. Nevertheless, the group noted that China has exercised effective control over Bajo de Masinloc since 2012 and has increasingly restricted access to the lagoon entrance since 2024, making attribution to another actor unlikely. SeaLight Director Ray Powell called on China to provide clarification regarding the object's origin and purpose. "The 2002 Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea was meant to stop parties from increasing tensions by changing the status quo on contested, uninhabited features," Powell said. He criticized the dismissal of Philippine concerns by Chinese-affiliated South China Sea researchers and urged Beijing to explain who placed the object, when it was installed, its intended purpose, and whether it would eventually be removed. Scarborough Shoal, known locally as Bajo de Masinloc, remains one of the most contested features in the South China Sea and has been a recurring source of tension between the Philippines and China.
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