Loaita Cay

Loaita Cay (Tagalog: Melchora Aquino; Chinese: 南钥沙洲; pinyin: Nanyao Shazhou; Vietnamese: Đảo Loại Ta Tây) is an island on the Spratly Islands.[1] It has an area of 0.53 hectares (1.3 acres) and it's located about 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) northwest of Philippine-occupied Loaita (Kota) Island,[2] just west of the north of Dangerous Ground.[3]

Loaita Cay
Disputed island
Geography
LocationSouth China Sea
Coordinates10°43′43″N 114°21′09″E
ArchipelagoSpratly Islands
Administered by
Philippines
MunicipalityKalayaan, Palawan
Claimed by
People's Republic of China
Philippines
Republic of China (Taiwan)
Vietnam

The island is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan, and is the seventh largest of the Philippine-occupied islands. It is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam.

The island is named after the Philippine hero Melchora Aquino.

Environment

The island is a low, flat, sandy cay, and is subject to erosion. It changes its shape seasonally. The sand build up depends largely on the direction of prevailing winds and waves; it has taken an elongated shape for some years. Like Flat Island and Lankiam Cay, it is barren of any vegetation. No underground water source has been found in the area.

Philippine occupation

Presently, the island serves as a military observation outpost, and is guarded by Philippine soldiers stationed at nearby Loaita Island who regularly visit. It is kept under observation from a tall structure on Loaita Island.

The location of this outpost, which the Philippines calls Panata Island, is often misreported as being on Lankiam Cay, to the east of Loaita Island. While reports suggest Lankiam was once a small sandy cay, it appears to have been washed away, leaving only a submerged reef and a small, shifting sand bar. If there was ever a Filipino facility there, it was moved to Loaita Cay and took the name “Panata Island” with it.[4]

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See also
  • Policies, activities and history of the Philippines in Spratly Islands

References
  1. Loaita Cay on Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.
  2. Sailing Directions (Enroute), Pub. 161: South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand (PDF). Sailing Directions. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017. p. 13.
  3. NGA Chart 93044 shows the area NW of Dangerous Ground.
  4. PHILIPPINES LAUNCHES SPRATLY RUNWAY REPAIRS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.


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