ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia

Philippines Confirms Removal of Floating Platform at Scarborough Shoal

China deployed the platform at the disputed atoll late last month, for what it described as a program of “comprehensive research” in the South China Sea.

This photo, released by the Philippine Coast Guard, reportedly shows the floating platform aboard the Chinese research vessel Yue Zhan Yu Ke 6, in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, Jun. 16, 2026.

The ​Philippine government yesterday confirmed that a “movable platform” ‌that was placed by Chinese maritime forces at a contested shoal in the South China Sea has been removed.

The platform, which measured about six meters by six meters and appeared to be equipped with an antenna, was first spotted in satellite images taken on May 25, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said last week. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs subsequently protested the “illegal presence” of the platform, claiming that the protection of Manila’s sovereignty and jurisdiction “remains a paramount consideration.”

In a statement yesterday, the NTF-WPS confirmed that aerial and maritime patrols conducted yesterday by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) had confirmed the removal of the platform.

“While we take note of the removal, we reiterate our principled and unyielding position: Bajo de Masinloc is and will always be an integral part of Philippine territory,” it said in ​a statement, using Manila’s official name for the shoal, over which it said the Philippines has “indivisible, incontrovertible, ​and longstanding sovereignty.”

The PCG later stated that it had observed the Chinese research vessel Yue Zhan Yu Ke 6 “dismantling the floating platform and loading it onto her stern” on Tuesday. It said that the vessel was “no longer in the vicinity” of the shoal, but that as of yesterday, a smaller Chinese research vessel was still present.

The ​NTF-WPS said........

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