Checking Terumbu Bemban for impacts from the Sudong reclamation

We check up on one of our favourite sites, a submerged reef flat that is the closest to the ongoing reclamation at Pulau Sudong. What we saw suggests that there is good effort to minimise impact of the large reclamation works.

It was a relief to see healthy corals on Western Terumbu Bemban nearest to the reclamation site. There is denser growth of seagrasses here too. While the rich reefy patch on Eastern Terumbu Bemban seems to be okay. A separate team also makes our first survey of tiny Terumbu Menalung nearby. I will update later with all their observations.

Today, the team splits up into two: one making our first survey of Terumbu Menalung, the other doing our annual check up of Terumbu Bemban.

When we arrived at dawn, the work site is alarmingly massive in real life. With gianormous piles of sand, large machinery on land and humungous vessels on the water.

Later, I saw this giant vessel shooting out sand to build yet another humungous mountain on the site.

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. 

As on our last survey in Aug 2025, we saw propped up poles on Terumbu Bemban, arrayed along the length of western Terumbu Bemban. As well as one on eastern Terumbu Bemban. Although outside the work site designated in the Port Marine Notice, these are probably sites where they monitor the impact of works on Terumbu Bemban?

Despite these huge vessels working and moving close to Terumbu Bemban, the water remains quite clear. The general situation on the ground gives me confidence that there is good effort to minimise the impact of this reclamation on nearby shores.

As in the past and similar to our Aug 2025 survey, the western reef nearest to the Sudong reclamation remains dotted mostly with small to medium and a few large boulder shaped corals. There were the usual boulder shaped and plate corals that are commonly seen on our submerged reefs. I even saw one mushroom coral! I didn't see any that were bleaching except for one small plate coral. On the eastern reef, I saw more corals, including big colonies, that were pink (a sign of stress). Also a few Branching montipora corals - no signs of a 'field', and a Cauliflower coral.

Similar to our Aug 2025 survey, there remains many small to medium sized colonies of leathery soft corals of various kinds scattered on the shore. Only a few larger clusters of them in the middle of the reef flat. I also saw a few other kinds of soft corals. I didn't see any that were bleaching. I also didn't see any sea anemones.

There is a small area here that was densely covered with hard corals. It lies on the eastern side of Terumbu Bemban, so not directly next to the Sudong reclamation but definitely within the zone of impact.

In Aug 2023, I already noticed a decline in coral cover and variety in this area. Similar to our Aug 2025 survey, today the area remain less dense, with fewer large colonies on the reef edge. But I saw less common corals like Anchor coral, some mushroom corals, as well as the usual variety of commonly seen corals. And I saw a Giant clam!

Here's a bad video clip of this rich area.

Similar to our Aug 2025 survey, the seagrass situation remains much better than our last survey in Apr 2024. The Spoon seagrasses along the length of the western shore facing Pulau Sudong remains somewhat dense, although heavily covered in epiphytes.

I saw many clumps of Tape seagrass with longish leaves (about 20-30cm) and didn't see any that were cropped super short. I also saw small patches of Sickle seagrass. Most were fresh green and not covered in epiphytes.

Future of Terumbu Bemban

The shores closest to the 31ha reclamation at Eastern tip of Pulau Sudong are Terumbu Bemban and 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.

Will update with team findings later.