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
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 10 July 1945.[4] The ship sat near the island until the Potsdam Declaration was signed on 15 August 1945.[4] In 1988, it was recommended that 90 hectares (220 acres) 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 hectares 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 25 September 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 Pelumpong Spit and PMB.[16]

  • Australian soldiers landing on PMB in 1945
  • Pulau Muara Besar Bridge in 2022
  • PMB Refinery seen from Serasa Beach in 2022
  • Pelumpong Spit (foreground) and PMB seen from a commercial aircraft in 2023

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. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  3. "H.E.Ambassador Yu Hong Visited Hengyi Pulau Muara Busar Prject". www.mfa.gov.cn. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  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 15 May 2022.
  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 (14 May 2016). 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 15 May 2022.
  10. "PMB Bridge Was Recently Completed In May 2018 | Brunei's No.1 News Website". www.brudirect.com. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  11. "Brunei: Pulau Muara Besar Bridge nears completion". World Highways. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  12. "Pulau Muara Besar Refinery, Brunei". Offshore Technology. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  13. "Hengyi refinery to be operational by end of 2019". The Scoop. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  14. "Hengyi plans polymer, petchem units in Brunei expansion | Argus Media". www.argusmedia.com. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  15. "Brunei-China joint petrochemical venture to expand into second phase". The Star. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  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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