Takong Light Beacon
(height: 8 meters)

The Malacca-Singapore Straits are the most heavily-traveled sea route in the world. Used by more than 90,000 large ships every year, the are an artery for Japan, China and all of Asia.

In order to protect the navigational safety of the Malacca-Singapore Straits, aids such as buoys, beacons and light houses have been established in 51 locations along the route. Of these, 45 were built by the Malacca Straits Council, with funding from The Nippon Foundation.


In the middle of the night on August 1 (Thu), it was discovered that the Takong resilient light beacon (1 degree 5 minutes N, 103 degrees 43 minutes E) had vanished. The beacon had been set in the straits' Phillip Channel.

The Phillip Channel is feared by navigators, due to its shallowness and the presence of scattered reefs. The Takong beacon was vital in this area, having marked a key turning point for the avoidance of hidden reefs.

Portion of beacon found by the
Singapore Maritime and Port Authority

The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority later found and recovered one portion of the beacon 20 kilometers away, off the coast of Singapore. From the way the beacon had been mangled, it is thought that it was impacted by a large vessel and dragged for more than 10 kilometers.

At present, due to the absence of a beacon, the area is extremely dangerous and the relevant authorities have issued a warning for passing ships.

In order to protect the safety of the straits, which vital to global trade, the Nippon Foundation plans to temporarily set up a small emergency buoy at a cost of roughly USD 462,000.

The Nippon Foundation is also calling for the establishment of a fund called the Aids to Navigation Fund. The foundation hopes that the shipping and other companies that benefit from the straits will, according to the principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR), either voluntarily contribute the monies required to handle such work as the replacement of this temporary buoy with a permanent one, or that they will participate in the Aids to Navigation Fund. The littoral states and user states are currently discussing the establishment of this fund.