Johor Sultan opens Abu Bakar Maritime Base in Batuan Tengah

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KOTA TINGGI: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar yesterday graced the opening of the Malaysian Maritime station in Batuan Tengah (Middle Rocks) and named it Abu Bakar Maritime Base.

Also present at the event were Malaysian Maritime director-general Admiral Datuk Zulkifili Abu Bakar, National Security Council (NSC) director-general Gen (R) Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

Zulkifili said the construction of Abu Bakar Maritime Base began on April 16, 2012 under the 10th Malaysia Plan and was completed in August last year at a cost of RM61.5 million.

He said the base was an NSC’s project implemented as a display of national sovereignty on the islet, to ensure security of the surrounding waters and national maritime areas, to enable scientific marine research and to protect the interests of local fishermen in the east coast of Johor.

“The NSC and the Works Department handed over the base to the Malaysian Maritime on Nov 8 last year. The base is operating around the clock and manned by three officers and 14 personnel led by Lt Commander Muhammad Padzly Pasrial,” said Zulkifili.

“Malaysian Maritime is the main user of the base, but the facilities and jetty will also be used by the Marine Department, Fisheries Department, Malaysian Armed Forces, Royal Malaysian Police, and also local fishermen.”

Zulkifili said Abu Bakar Maritime Base will also facilitate special or joint operations to ensure peace and security in the Malaysian maritime zone, besides being capable of responding quickly to any violation of national maritime law, as it is also equipped with state-of-the-art remote surveillance system, solid waste system and climate station system.

The base was built on the Middle Rocks, which comprise two small rocks separated by 316.6 metres of open water located at the eastern opening of the busy Straits of Singapore and western edge of the South China Sea, about 7.9 nautical miles from Johor and 0.6 nautical miles from Batu Puteh.

In 2008, in a 15-to-one ruling, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded Middle Rocks to Malaysia, and Batu Puteh or Pedra Branca to Singapore by a 12-to-four ruling.   On the status of Tubir Selatan (South Ledge), however, the ICJ ruled that as a low-tide elevation, the area  belongs to the state in the territorial waters of which it is located. – Bernama