Muara Besar Island

Muara Besar Island (Malay: Pulau Muara Besar, Abbrev: PMB) is an island in Mukim Serasa, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei.[1] The island is essential for the Brunei–China relations due to its part in the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative.[2][3] It can be noted that the island may be referred to Muara Island in older works.[4]

Muara Besar Island
Native name:
Pulau Muara Besar
Nickname: PMB, Muara Island
Muara Besar Island is located in Brunei
Muara Besar Island
Muara Besar Island
Location in Brunei
Geography
LocationBrunei Bay
Coordinates5.0060444°N 115.0999753°E / 5.0060444; 115.0999753
Area9.636 km2 (3.720 sq mi)
Administration
Brunei
DistrictBrunei-Muara
MukimSerasa
Demographics
Population0

A proposal for an 940 hectares (2,300 acres) protection status to be implemented on the island.[5] The island is home to migratory birds, shoebirds, primary forests and forest swamps.[5]

Location and Geography

The island is located within the Brunei Bay, in the south of the South China Sea. Administratively, it is part of Mukim Serasa of the Brunei-Muara District, Brunei.[6] A mangrove forest is present on the inhabited island.[7]

History

During the Battle of Brunei in World War II, United States Navy warship USS Willoughby (AGP-9) was relocated off Muara Island to which a newly established PT boat base on the island on July 10, 1945.[4] The ship sat near the island until the Potsdam Declaration was signed on August 15, 1945.[4] In 1988, it was recommended that 90-hectare of the southeast end of the island to be protected.[7]

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in January 2008, in order to explore the construction of an export-focused industrial park.[8] In 2011, the Ministry of Finance and Economy approved the Zhejiang Hengyi Group to establish the Hengyi Industries Sdn, and began to develop the island.[9] The island is linked by the Pulau Muara Besar Bridge, which was completed in May 2018,[10] and a deep sea container port.[11]

The PMB Refinery operated by the Hengyi company within the PMB Industrial Park,[12][10] was joined by two other Chinese companies (Zhejiang Hengyi Group and Damai Holdings).[12] The industrial park took up a total land area of 955-hectare and are being used to produce petrochemical, oil and gas industries.[11] The Phase 1 and 2 of the project were expected to be completed between late 2019 and 2023.[13][14] The 2nd phase, which began construction on September 25, 2020, will be essential to Brunei's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).[15]

Activities

There are a number of fish farms in the sheltered area between Tanjong Pelumpong and PMB.[16]

References
  1. Names, United States Board on Geographic (1952). Decision List (in Malay). The Board. p. 59.
  2. "The Belt and Road Initiative for Brunei petrochemical project". SynergenOG. 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  3. "H.E.Ambassador Yu Hong Visited Hengyi Pulau Muara Busar Prject". www.mfa.gov.cn. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  4. Division, United States Naval History (1959). Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: Historical sketches. Navy Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division. p. 386. ISBN 9780160020391.
  5. Silvestre, Geronimo (1992). The Coastal Resources of Brunei Darussalam: Status, Utilization and Management. WorldFish. p. 151. ISBN 978-971-8709-11-5.
  6. "Pulau Muara Besar Industrial Park". DARe (Darussalam Ent) (in Malay). Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  7. Silvestre, Geronimo (1992). The Coastal Resources of Brunei Darussalam: Status, Utilization and Management. WorldFish. p. 151. ISBN 978-971-8709-11-5.
  8. Inc, IBP (2016-05-14). Brunei Business and Investment Opportunities Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Opportunities. Lulu.com. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-4387-0627-6. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. "Articles - World Class Refinery and Integrated Petrochemical..." www.mofe.gov.bn. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  10. "PMB Bridge Was Recently Completed In May 2018 | Brunei's No.1 News Website". www.brudirect.com. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  11. "Brunei: Pulau Muara Besar Bridge nears completion". World Highways. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  12. "Pulau Muara Besar Refinery, Brunei". Offshore Technology. 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  13. "Hengyi refinery to be operational by end of 2019". The Scoop. 2019-03-01. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  14. "Hengyi plans polymer, petchem units in Brunei expansion | Argus Media". www.argusmedia.com. 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  15. "Brunei-China joint petrochemical venture to expand into second phase". The Star. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  16. 20-foot whale stranded near Muara Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Borneo Bulletin 12-05-2003 - retrieved 28-05-2007
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