Tennent Reef
| Disputed atoll | |
|---|---|
 Tennent Reef | |
  Tennent Reef | |
| Other names | Pigeon Reef Đá Tiên Nữ (Vietnamese) Lopez-Jaena Reef (Philippine English) Bahura ng Lopez-Jaena (Filipino) 无乜礁 Wúmiē jiāo (Chinese) |
| Geography | |
| Location | South China Sea |
| Coordinates | 8°51′18″N 114°39′18″E / 8.85500°N 114.65500°E |
| Archipelago | Spratly Islands |
| Total islands | 2 |
| Major islands | Tien Nu A Island, Tien Nu B Island |
| Area | Tien Nu B Island: 55 ha Tien Nu A: 2.5 ha |
| Administration | |
| District | Trường Sa District |
| Township | Trường Sa Township |
| Claimed by | |
Tennent Reef, also known as Pigeon Reef, (Filipino: Bahura ng Lopez-Jaena); Tiên Nữ Reef (Vietnamese: Đá Tiên Nữ); Mandarin Chinese: 无乜礁; pinyin: Wúmiē jiāo, is an atoll on the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The atoll has been occupied by Vietnam since 1988. It is also claimed by China (PRC), the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan (ROC).[1][2][3]
Characteristics
[edit]Geography
[edit]Tennent Reef is the easternmost entity among the geographical features controlled by Vietnam in the Spratly Islands. It is located 100 km south of the Union Banks, 162 nautical miles (300 km) east of Spratly Island, and 27 nautical miles (50 km) east-northeast of the nearest entity managed by Vietnam, Cornwallis South Reef.
Tennent Reef has a triangular shape,[4] with its three sides measuring approximately 3.3 km, 5.7 km, and 6.7 km. When the tide recedes to 0.1 meters, the entire outer edge of the coral emerges above the sea surface.[5] The total area of this atoll is around 15.56 km², including a lagoon covering 5.93 km².[6]
The easternmost point of Tennent Reef is located at 8°52′31″N 114°41′01″E / 8.87528°N 114.68361°E. And this is also the easternmost maritime point of Vietnam.
Island belong
[edit]- Tien Nu A Island (before 2021, it was called Tien Nu Islet): 8°51′00″N 114°38′20″E / 8.85000°N 114.63889°E, located at the western part of Tennent Reef. Including a permanent building and a multi-functional cultural house. This islet began its expansion through land reclamation in April 2024, reaching an area of approximately 2.5 hectares and transforming into an island.
- Tien Nu B Island:[7] 8°51′13.9″N 114°39′50.9″E / 8.853861°N 114.664139°E, located at the eastern part of Tennent Reef. This island has been undergoing land reclamation since December 2021. As of now, it covers an area of approximately 55 hectares. Vietnam has the potential to construct a runway on this island.[8]
Lighthouse
[edit]In 2000, Vietnam built a lighthouse on the eastern side of Tennent Reef, geographic coordinates: 8°52′16.1″N 114°40′50.8″E / 8.871139°N 114.680778°E. The tower stands over 22 meters tall and is entirely painted lemon yellow. Its base consists of a three-story building, located 5.2 km from Tien Nu A Island, where the Vietnamese Navy maintains a garrison.
The lighthouse emits a flashing light with a characteristic 2+1 group pattern, following a 10-second cycle. Its effective range is 14 nautical miles during the day and 15 nautical miles at night.[9]
History
[edit]In late 1987 and early 1988, the Vietnam People's Navy planned to deploy forces to occupy Tennent Reef, Discovery Great Reef, West London Reef, and Fiery Cross Reef. However, China moved ahead and seized Fiery Cross Reef on January 26, 1988.
On January 25, 1988, the HQ-613 vessel from Vietnam's Naval Region 4 transported Brigade 146 and Engineer Regiment 83 to Tien Nu Islet (today, it is called Tien Nu A Island), where they built stilt houses and organized island defense. By February 6, 1988, the stationed forces had completed level-3 housing and continued to hold their position on the island.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ (in Vietnamese)"Vị trí tiền tiêu của đảo Tiên Nữ". December 11, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ D. J. Hancox; John Robert Victor Prescott (1995). A Geographical Description of the Spratly Islands and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys Amongst Those Islands. IBRU. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-897643-18-1.
- ^ "Pigeon Reef". cil.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ Hancox, David; Prescott, Victor (1995). A Geographical Description of the Spratly Islands and an Account of Hydrographic Surveys amongst Those Islands. Maritime Briefings. Vol. 1. University of Durham, International Boundaries Research Unit. p. 12. ISBN 978-1897643181.
- ^ Mai Thắng (2012-06-27). "Đèn biển Trường Sa không bao giờ tắt". Báo Tin tức. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
- ^ "Pigeon Reef". cil.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "THÔNG BÁO HÀNG HẢI Về khu vực biển cấm hoạt động hàng hải phục vụ công tác tổ chức bắn đạn thật của Quân chủng Hải quân trên vùng biển Khánh Hòa - CVHHNTR". cvhhnhatrang.org.vn. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
- ^ "How Many Runways is Vietnam Building in the Spratly Islands?". Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. Retrieved 2025-05-06.
- ^ "Hải đăng Tiên Nữ". Trang thông tin điện tử Tổng Công ty Bảo đảm An toàn Hàng hải miền Nam (Việt Nam). Retrieved 2018-08-02.
External links
[edit]| Confrontations | |
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| Regions | |
| Occupied features | |
| Unoccupied features | |
| Related articles | |
| Pratas Island | |||||||||||||||||
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| Paracel Islands |
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| Northeastern SCS | |||||||||||||||||
| Spratly Islands |
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| Southeastern SCS | |||||||||||||||||
| Southern SCS | |||||||||||||||||
| Tudjuh Archipelago | |||||||||||||||||
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