The Philippine National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea confirmed on June 3 that it is investigating reports of a suspected new structure at Scarborough Shoal, located about 200 kilometers west of the Philippines coast [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The shoal, also called Huangyan Island by China, is a disputed maritime area long controlled de facto by China since a 2012 standoff [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on May 30 that he had received raw intelligence about the presence of the structure but its nature remained unknown. "I still don’t know what it is. That’s why it’s still considered raw information. Once in a while, they put a buoy and other things there. (It) might be something from outside (that) drifted inside the shoal," he said [1].
Satellite images from May 27, 29 and 30 showed a possible floating raft or buoy and barrier across the atoll’s entrance. A US-based maritime monitoring group, Sealight, publicly shared satellite photos on June 2 showing what appears to be a 6 by 6 meter highly reflective object near the lagoon entrance [1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11]. Sealight said evidence suggested the feature was persistent, not a transient optical artifact [8]. However, by June 1, the suspected structure was no longer visible on satellite images [8, 9, 12, 11].
The Philippine government is using surveillance tools to verify the background and nature of the structure and urges caution against speculation while investigations proceed [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10]. The government said it takes seriously any developments affecting its sovereignty, rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, and remains steadfast in upholding maritime rights and international law [1].
China has maintained control over Scarborough Shoal since 2012. A 2016 arbitral tribunal ruled largely in favor of the Philippines, finding China’s blockade of the shoal violated international law, but did not assign sovereignty [1, 8, 9, 6, 7, 12]. Maritime exercises by Philippine and US forces took place near the shoal in late May, followed by Chinese military and coast guard patrols on May 31 [8, 9, 12].
The Chinese embassy in Manila has not responded to requests for comment on the structure as of early June 2026 [1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 11]. The Philippine investigation is ongoing and authorities continue to monitor the area closely.
