geo.wikisort.org - 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
Location	Brunei Bay
Coordinates	5.0060444°N 115.0999753°E / 5.0060444; 115.0999753
Area	9.636 km2 (3.720 sq mi)
Administration
Brunei
District	Brunei-Muara
Mukim	Serasa
Demographics
Population	0

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

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