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Pedra Branca, Singapore

Coordinates: 1°19′48″N 104°24′27″E / 1.33, 104.4075

Pedra Branca (Malay: Pulau Batu Puteh) is an outcrop of rocks situated where the Singapore Strait meets the South China Sea. The Horsburgh Lighthouse on this outlying island was built by the British in 1851.

The island had been administered by Singapore for over a century when a Malaysian map published on 21 December 1979 showed the island within its jurisdiction, igniting a 29-year territorial dispute. The case, which eventually included the nearby islands of Middle Rocks and South Ledge, was passed to the International Court of Justice, which ruled on 23 May 2008 that Pedra Branca is under the sovereignty of Singapore, while the Middle Rocks belong to Malaysia.[1][2] The other outcrop, South Ledge, belongs to the State in the territorial waters of which it is located and is subject to further negotiations. [3]

Name

The island's name means "white rock" in Portuguese, in reference to the whitish bird droppings that were seen on the rock in the past. Malaysia refers to it as Pulau Batu Puteh, which means "white rock island" in Malay; however, the official Malay name in Singapore is Pedra Branca[citation needed].

Physical attributes

The location of Pedra Branca in the South China Sea is marked on the map by a white cross
The location of Pedra Branca in the South China Sea is marked on the map by a white cross

Pedra Branca, located at 1° 19′ 48″ N and 104° 24′ 27″ E, is a granite island with an area of about 8,560 square metres (92,100 sq ft). During the low water spring tide it measures, at its longest, a mere 137 metres (450 ft) and has an average width of 60 metres (200 ft). It is approximately 24 nautical miles (44 km) to the east of Singapore; 7.7 nautical miles (14.3 km) south of Johor, Malaysia; and 7.6 nautical miles (14.1 km) north of Bintan, Indonesia.[4][5][6]

There are two maritime features near Pedra Branca. Middle Rocks, which is under the sovereignty of Malaysia, consists of two clusters of small rocks about 250 metres (820 ft) apart situated 0.6 nautical miles (1.1 km) south of the island. They stand 0.6 metres (2.0 ft) to 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) permanently above water. South Ledge, on the other hand, is a rock formation visible only at low-tide. It is 2.2 nautical miles (4.1 km) to the south-south-west of Pedra Branca.[7] Its ownership has yet to be definitively determined by Malaysia and Singapore.

History

Horsburgh Lighthouse, a painting by John Turnbull Thomson (1821–1884) showing the island of Pedra Branca just after the completion of the lighthouse in 1851, which he designed.
Horsburgh Lighthouse, a painting by John Turnbull Thomson (1821–1884) showing the island of Pedra Branca just after the completion of the lighthouse in 1851, which he designed.

The island first appeared in navigational records as early as 1583. Dutch voyager Johann van Linschoten then recorded that Pedra Branca is "where ships that come and go to and from China pass in great danger and some are left upon it". The rocks get their name from years of accumulated bird droppings which hardened upon the rock.[8]

In 1851, the Horsburgh Lighthouse was built on the island and named after Captain James Horsburgh,[9] a Scottish hydrographer to the British East India Company who mapped the waters of the area.

The rocks have long been a navigational hazard. For example, between 1824 and 1851, at least twenty-five sizeable vessels met with disaster on those rocks. Between 2000 and 2004 there were two reports of ship collisions.

RSS Courageous collision

On 4 January 2003, RSS Courageous of the Republic of Singapore Navy collided with a 293.5 m long Dutch merchant ship, ANL Indonesia, near to the disputed island.[10] While no one sustained injuries on the merchant ship, which was relatively undamaged, the 57.84-m 44-crew anti-submarine patrol vessel had a rear section shorn off.[11] In addition, three of its crew died, eight suffered injuries, and one person's body was never found. Subsequently, the navy ship's crew was found to be largely responsible for the accident.[12][13]

Territorial dispute

Main article: Pedra Branca dispute

Sovereignty of the island was in dispute between Singapore and Malaysia since 21 December 1979 when Malaysia published a map showing the island to be under its jurisdiction. The case was handed to the International Court of Justice to be decided. On 23 May 2008, the International Court of Justice awarded the island to Singapore. There have, however, been reports quoting Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim as saying that Malaysia has renewed its search for evidence to stake its claim on Pedra Branca,[14][15] although both countries had previously agreed to respect and accept ICJ's decision.[16][17] In response, Singapore's Law Minister K Shanmugam was reported as saying that the city-state will wait and see what new evidence the Malaysian government can come up with.[15]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "ICJ awards Pedra Branca's sovereignty to Singapore", Channel NewsAsia, 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-23. 
  2. ^ "Court awards islet to Singapore", BBC, 2008-05-23. Retrieved on 2008-05-23. 
  3. ^ "Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore)", International Court of Justice, 2008-05-23. 
  4. ^ Case Concerning Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore), International Court of Justice, 2008-05-23, <http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/130/14492.pdf?PHPSESSID=e5dc0baf91086da004883db261c90796> , para. 16.
  5. ^ May Wong (2007-11-06), Background on Pedra Branca, Channel NewsAsia, <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/309953/1/.html> .
  6. ^ By the Protected Places (No. 4) Order 2002 (S 305/2002), which came into effect on 27 June 2002, Pedra Branca was declared a "protected area" within the meaning of the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act (Cap. 256, 1985 Rev. Ed.). In the Schedule to the Order, it was described as "[t]he island occupied by 'PORT OF SINGAPORE (HORSBURGH LIGHTHOUSE)' containing an area of approximately 8,650 square metres. The eastern-most point is approximately along the bearing 73° 51′ for 97 metres from the centre of the lighthouse, Latitude 1° 19′ 48.8″ N and Longitude 104° 21′ 20.6″ E (WGS 84 datum) approximately".
  7. ^ Case Concerning Sovereignty over Pedra Branca, para. 18.
  8. ^ "Batu Putih milik siapa", Utusan Malaysia, 2007-11-03. 
  9. ^ Significant Scots : James Horsburgh. Electric Scotland. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  10. ^ "Singapore Navy ship collides with merchant ship", People's Daily, 2003-01-04. 
  11. ^ Collision at sea : RSS Courageous towed back to Changi Naval Base. Ministry of Defence (2003-01-04).
  12. ^ "Incident at sea : The RSS Courageous story", Channel NewsAsia, 2003-04-04. 
  13. ^ Ng Keng Yong v Public Prosecutor, High Court (Singapore), 13 August 2004. Retrieved on 7 November 2007.
  14. ^ "Malaysia not giving up hope on Batu Puteh yet", The Star, 2008-06-01. Retrieved on 2008-06-04. 
  15. ^ a b "S'pore will wait to see what new evidence M'sia can produce over Pedra Branca", Channel NewsAsia, 2008-06-04. Retrieved on 2008-06-04. 
  16. ^ "Malaysia, Singapore to accept ICJ’s ruling on island", The Star, 2008-04-18. Retrieved on 2008-06-04. 
  17. ^ "ICJ's ruling on Pedra Branca to be delivered on May 23", Channel NewsAsia, 2008-04-30. Retrieved on 2008-06-04. 

Further reading

Articles

Books

  • Hall-Jones, John (1995). The Horsburgh Lighthouse. Invercargill, N.Z.: John Hall-Jones. ISBN 0473032058 (pbk.). 
  • Pavitt, J.A.L. (1966). First Pharos of the Eastern Seas : Horsburgh Lighthouse. Singapore: Donald Moore Press. 
  • Thomson, J.T. (John Turnbull) (1852). Account of the Horsburgh Light-house, Erected on Pedra Branca, near Singapore. Singapore: G.M. Fredrick. 

External links

Images


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