Beting Bemban Besar

The ongoing Sudong reclamation is still very visible from Beting Bemban Besar. Thanks to Zen Xuan He for great close ups of the works. Seems like the sand mountains are getting flattened. But there are still many large vessels and construction equipment on the shore.

From Port Marine Notice No. 55 of 2026 "Reclamation at Pulau Sudong" with effect from 08 Apr 2026 to 07 Oct 2026. The works involve the installation of navigational buoys, removal of metallic debris, demolition of abandoned jetty, dredging works, installation of marine staging platforms for soil instrumentation, infilling works, marine vibrocompaction, stone revetment works, and jetty construction to facilitate the reclamation and jetty construction works at Pulau Sudong.

Here is the location of Beting Bemban Besar and other nearby shores in relation to the Sudong reclamation.

What is the fate of Beting Bemban Besar?

Large areas nearby are also slated for massive reclamation outlined recently in the Long-Term Plan Review.

The Singapore Blue Plan 2018

Pulau Semakau and nearby islands and submerged reefs have been recommended by the Singapore Blue Plan 2018 for Immediate Conservation Priority. The Blue Plan recommends the intertidal and subtidal marine areas of Pulau Semakau and adjacent Pulau Hantu, and Pulau Jong to be designated Marine Reserve.

The Blue Plan highlights that Pulau Semakau and its associated patch reefs comprise many ecosystems: coral reefs, mangrove areas, intertidal sandflats, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The subtidal area of Pulau Jong is larger than the terrestrial area. Pulau Hantu is a popular dive site has seen increasing interest in the past decade due to biodiversity awareness. If protection is accorded to these three islands, zonation plans for use can be implemented to manage tourism and human impacts.

DOWNLOAD the Plan, SUPPORT the Plan! More on the Singapore Blue Plan 2018 site.


Photos by others on this survey

Richard Kuah


Lon Voon Ong


Quek Chui Qing


Zen Xuan He


Tammy Lim


Rui Quan Oh


Others on the survey: Zheng Hao, Giant clam team


Thanks to photos by Rui Quan Oh and Zen Xuan He, I sense the seagrass situation is similar to our May 2026 survey. We first observed seagrass recovery on our Jul 2025 survey. Seems like sprinkles of seagrasses evenly covered the shore - the green horizon in the photo Rui Quan took of a Brahminy kite that landed on the shore. There seems to be scattered patches of denser growth. Most seem fresh and green. Tape seagrass remain cropped.