Terumbu Hantu in the face of Sudong reclamation

Despite being next to petrochemical plants on Pulau Bukom and surrounded by heavy vessel parking, this little gem with rich reefs is one of our favourite sites.

Today we survey within sight of the ongoing massive reclamation on Pulau Sudong. We are relieved to see the corals are still doing well. The rest of the team make all the special finds, I will update later.

The reef edge opposite Pulau Hantu has denser cover of corals. A large cluster of Galaxy corals, large plate corals and Barrel sponges, some colonies of less commonly seen corals like Anchor corals. Also many kinds of mushroom corals. All seemed  healthy and well formed. I didn't see any that were bleaching. Here is a video clip of the reef edge, within sight of the ongoing Sudong reclamation.

There was still the usual scattering of medium-sized leathery soft coral various kinds, including a few larger clusters. I didn't see any that were bleaching. I also saw some Giant carpet anemones and other cnidarians like corallimorphs. All were fine.

The middle part of this small submerged reef is dotted with small colonies of commonly seen corals. Mostly boulder shaped, but also some commonly seen plate corals. Some of the Boulder pore corals were a little pale. A few boulder shaped corals were producing copious slime (like snot), which tends to happen when they are exposed to rain at low tide. I didn't see any that were bleaching.

One reason we visit this submerged reef is to check up on the damage when boats strike it. Like this large deep hole gouged out by the MV Nautica, a large live-aboard dive boat when it ran aground on Terumbu Hantu on 9 Nov 2014. The hole is still there 10 years later. Photo of the MV Nautica when it ran aground on Terumbu Hantu on 9 Nov 2014 by Lee Bee Yan.

Large colonies of Acropora coral have been seen growing in this boat strike 'hole' since our survey in Jul 2020. They are still doing well in Aug 2023 but were mostly in Jun 2025. Today, I couldn't find any inside the hole, but there was a nice patch on the reef edge near the hole! There was also a large patch of healthy Galaxy coral on the reef edge near the hole. So it seems the reef is slowly healing from the trauma of the boat strike.

Today, the scattered clumps of Tape seagrass I saw were still mostly cropped very short, with few with longish leaves (about 15cm). Leaves were fresh and green though.

The ongoing Sudong reclamation is very visible from Terumbu Hantu.

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 Pulau Hantu and other nearby shores in relation to the Sudong reclamation.

We had a closer look on the way home and the worksite is still busy with many large vessels in the water and vehicles on the land. Seems similar to our last look at it while we surveyed Terumbu Pempang Laut earlier in Jul 2026.

With Terumbu Bemban in front of the worksite.

Storm clouds chased us as we headed out, and caught us once we were on the shore. After a brief period of hard rain, the sun came back out and we were rewarded with a lovely rainbow.

What is the fate of Terumbu Hantu?

Pulau Hantu and all the terumbus west of it are slated for massive reclamation outlined recently in the Long-Term Plan Review. Singapore's submerged reefs are often out of sight under the high tide and thus forgotten. Let's hope Terumbu Hantu stays safe until we can visit again.

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.