Terumbu Raya in the face of Sudong reclamation

We return to Terumbu Raya East for the first time in 4 years! Although it lies just off the petrochemical plants on Pulau Bukom it is still very much alive. With sprinkles of corals and seagrasses.

The rest of the team saw sharks, sea turtles and other special finds. I will update with their sightings later.

There have never been a lot of corals on this shore. Some scattered medium sized boulder-shaped coral colonies. Most seemed alright.

Similar to what I saw in May 2022, the reef edge facing Pulau Semakau no longer had a lot of live corals as in the past. But there were still scattered colonies mostly boulder shaped with some less commonly seen kinds like Anchor coral, Lettuce coral, Brain coral. There were more live corals turning the corner to the shore facing Beting Bemban Besar, with even a Tongue mushroom coral.

There are not a lot of leathery soft corals on this shore, mostly medium to small colonies of various kinds. I saw several Giant carpet anemone (no 'Nemos') and one Fire anemone. Also one Asparagus flowery soft coral. None of them were bleaching. The Giant clam team was with us and found a lot! I happened to be nearby when they found this large one.

The seagrass situation is probably similar to what we saw in May 2022 and Aug 2021. Most of the centre of the flats are still bare sand. There were denser patches seagrasses toward the seaward edges, mostly heavily covered in epiphytes. All the Tape seagrasses I saw were cropped short.

The Sudong reclamation worksite looks similar to what we saw in May 2026 from Beting Bemban Besar. Tall piles of sand with lots of large heavy equipment on the sand and in the water.

The reclamation site is not yet showing up on Google Earth but an aviation news site Alert 5 has shared an image dated 13 Jun 2026 from the Copernicus system.

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 Terumbu Raya 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.

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.