KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s ambitious plans to secure its rightful territories in the Spratlys began in the late 1970s.
The New Straits Times spoke to officials from enforcement agencies, contractors and defence industries commissioned to carry out works, who gave their account of how naval stations were established in the South China Sea.
They said that apart from the RMN’s Station Lima at Swallow Reef (Terumbu Layang-Layang) occupied since 1983, Malaysia deployed its naval special forces at Station Mike (Terumbu Mantanani or Mariveles Reef) and Station Uniform (Terumbu Ubi or Ardasier Reef)—both occupied sinc e 1986; St atio n Sierra (Terumbu Siput or Erica Reef ) and Station Papa (Beting Peninjau or Investigator Shoal), both occupied since 1999.
“Each of the four Spratly stations was initially brought as a barge and later modelled after a 40ft by 70ft (12m by 21m) naval patrol vessel, complete with facilities for dining, sleeping, communication and survival,” said one of them, who is familiar with the construction and expansion projects.
A retired Royal Malaysian Navy special forces commando recalled the first initiative at Amboyna Minor Cay (Permatang Amboyna Kecil) in 1978.
“Our naval special forces landed on the cay and placed markers there. But they were destroyed by foreign naval forces, believed to be from Vietnam, which is occupying the territory now.”
Their next project was at Swallow Reef five years later.
“RMN despatched a team of 18 naval commandos in May 1983 to secure Terumbu Layang-Layang and the eventual setting up of Station Lima there, three years later in April.
“We operated in shifts to safeguard the territory, as it was slowly turned into an island, known as Pulau Layang-Layang,” he said.
RMN sent a similar commando team to establish Stesen Uniform (Terumbu Ubi or Ardasier Reef), the largest reef in the Semarang Peninjau cluster, on April 16, 1986.
“Malaysian Shipyard and Engineering (MSE) Sdn Bhd was commissioned to undertake the development project that included building the outpost station there.
“The station was modelled from a 60m by 30m barge and we had to cramp in there.
“I remember the then defence minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (now Tun), who officiated the station’s opening,” he said.
In 2000, he said, the contractor had enlarged the reef through land reclamation of 60m by 40m, which included a 100m long canal for the CB90 assault boats to
dock, he said.
A defence contractor said MSE was re-engaged to build the 60m long, 24m wide and 4.5m high Station Mike on Mariveles Reef, in September 1986.
“On Nov 3 that year, we witnessed the then RMN chief, vice-admiral Tan Sri Abdul Wahab Nawi, officiating the station, which lies 35 nautical miles north of Station Lima and neighbouring Amboyna Minor Cay.
“By July 2003, work to build a 124.5m long and 15m wide canal was completed,” he added.
A maritime industry spokesman said the government engaged Penang Shipping Corporation-Naval Dockyard Sdn Bhd to design a barge at Pulau Jerejak, Penang for Station Sierra at Terumbu Siput or Erica Reef.
“The completed barge was tugged, under heavy naval escort, over a month to the reef in April 1999.
“Contractors had to wait for high tide before laying the barge with rocks and concrete, at the reef.
“Station Sierra was officially established on May 10, 1999,” said the spokesman.
He said in April 1999, the same joint-venture firm undertook to construct Station Papa through similar fashion on Beting Peninjau or Investigator Shoal, located 70 nautical miles from Station Lima.
Another maritime official said in 1991, the Avillion Island Resort was built on Pulau Layang-Layang.
“By July 2004, the island saw the establishment of the Marine Research Station Pulau Layang-Layang (Marsal),” he said.