Singapore Strait crossing

Last updated
Approximate location of a Singapore Strait crossing (red) Singapore - Riau Islands crossing.jpg
Approximate location of a Singapore Strait crossing (red)

The Singapore Strait crossing is a proposed tunnel, bridge or combination of the two spanning the Singapore Strait and linking Singapore with the Riau archipelago of Indonesia, most likely with the island of Batam. In the early 1990s the Riau Islands experienced a major economic boom in response to the development of an industrial estate on Batam, [1] located 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Singapore. Singapore and Batam currently are connected only by ferry service.

Indonesian legislator Harry Azhar Azis recommended that the government work with Singapore to develop a fixed link, suggesting a bridge across the Singapore Strait would give Indonesia better access to the Asian continent following the implementation of the free trade agreement between ASEAN and China. [2] Likewise, proponents in Singapore underscored that the bridge would position Singapore as an important intermediary for trade between Indonesia and the rest of Asia. [3]

Though a Singapore Strait bridge could eventually play a pivotal link in a hypothetical Trans Global Highway, a Singapore Strait crossing would not yet give full access to Indonesia's road or rail system due to the lack of fixed links between Batam and mainland Indonesia. This latter corridor was identified for development in a 2011 government study, [4] however the 250 km (160 mi) distance across a series of islands, shallow channels, and sparsely populated forest poses enormous engineering and environmental challenges.

The Singapore Strait crossing has not progressed past the proposal stage. The Malacca Strait Bridge was at the planning stage in 2012 and appeared a more likely candidate for connecting Indonesia to mainland Asia. If built, this route would bypass Singapore.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumatra</span> Island in western Indonesia

Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi.2), including adjacent islands such as the Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, Enggano, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung and Krakatoa archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riau Islands</span> Province of Indonesia

The Riau Islands is a province of Indonesia—not to be confused with neighbouring Riau Province from which the Riau Islands Province were separated in 2002. The capital of the province is Tanjung Pinang, while the largest city is Batam. It shares a maritime border with Riau and Jambi to the east, Bangka Belitung Islands to the south, Singapore to the northeast, Malaysia and West Kalimantan to the west, and Vietnam and Cambodia to the north. It comprises a total of 2,028 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes along the Malacca Strait and the Natuna Sea, the province shares water borders with neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Riau Islands also have relatively large potential mineral resources and energy, as well as marine resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riau Archipelago</span> Indonesian archipelago

The Riau Archipelago is a geographic term for the core group of islands within the Riau Islands Province in Indonesia, and located south of Singapore and east of Riau on Sumatra. Before the province of Riau Islands was formed, there was no ambiguity in term; however, in Indonesian language, both the archipelago and administrative province are referred to simply as "Kepulauan Riau". The province may have the word "Provinsi" preceding it for clarity. Additionally, the term BBK for Batam Bintan Karimun may refer to the archipelago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batam</span> City in Riau Islands, Indonesia

Batam, officially Batam City, is the largest city in the province of Riau Islands, Indonesia. The city administrative area covers three main islands of Batam, Rempang, and Galang, as well as Bulang to the west and several smaller islands. Batam Island is the core urban and industrial zone, while both Rempang Island and Galang Island maintain their rural character and low-density population; they are connected to Batam Island by short bridges. Bulang Island and the islands to its north forming Belakang Padang District lie to the west of Batam Island but are also administratively within the city. Batam is an industrial boomtown, an emerging transport hub, and part of a free trade zone in the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle, located 20 km (12 mi) off Singapore's south coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pekanbaru</span> City and capital of Riau, Indonesia

Pekanbaru is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Riau, and a major economic centre on the eastern side of Sumatra Island with its name derived from the Malay words for 'new market' . It has an area of 632.26 km2 (244.12 sq mi), with a population of 897,767 at the 2010 Census, and 983,356 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 1,123,348. It is located on the banks of the Siak River, which flows into the Strait of Malacca, Pekanbaru has direct access to the busy strait and has long been known as a trading port.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bintan Island</span> Island in Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province, Indonesia

Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island in the Riau archipelago of Indonesia. It is part of the Riau Islands province, the capital of which, Tanjung Pinang, lies in the island's south and is the island's main community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malay Singaporeans</span> Ethnic group of Singapore

Malay Singaporeans are Singaporeans with general ancestry from the Malay world. They constitute approximately 13.5% of the country's residents, making them the second largest ethnic group in Singapore. Under the Constitution of Singapore, they are recognised by the government as the indigenous people of the country, with Malay as the de jure national language of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anambas Islands Regency</span> Regency in Riau Islands, Indonesia

Anambas Islands Regency is a small archipelago of Indonesia, located 150 nautical miles northeast of Batam Island in the North Natuna Sea between the Malaysian mainland to the west and the island of Borneo to the east. Geographically part of the Tudjuh Archipelago, it is administratively a regency within the Riau Islands Province. It covers a land area of 590.14 square kilometres (227.85 sq mi) and had a population of 37,411 at the 2010 Census and 47,402 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 49,090. The administrative centre is at Tarempa on Siantan Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore Strait</span> Strait between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore

The Singapore Strait is a 113 km-long (70 mi), 19 km-wide (12 mi) strait between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east. Singapore is on the north of the channel, and the Indonesian Riau Islands are on the south. The two countries share a maritime border along the strait.

Galang is an island of 80 km2 located 25 mi (40 km) southeast of Batam, belonging to a group of three islands called Barelang. Part of the Riau Archipelago, Indonesia, Galang is located just south of Batam and Rempang which themselves are just south of Singapore and Johor. Administratively, all three islands form part of the city of Batam; the nearest other city to Galang is Tanjungpinang on Bintan island, about a 30-minute boat ride away. The island is connected by the Barelang Bridge to Rempang and Batam.

The SIJORI was established in 1994 between three countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, to strengthen economic links in the region and optimise the complementarity between the three countries. It started off as the SIJORI Growth Triangle in 1989, which includes Singapore, Johor (Malaysia), and Riau Archipelago, a part of Riau Islands Province (Indonesia).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanjungpinang</span> City and capital of Riau Islands, Indonesia

Tanjungpinang, also colloquially written as Tanjung Pinang, is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. It covers a land area of 144.56 km2, mainly in the southern part of Bintan Island, as well as other smaller islands such as Dompak Island and Penyengat Island. With a population of 227,663 at the 2020 Census, it is the second largest city of the province, after Batam; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 234,840. Tanjungpinang is a historic city of the Malay culture, having served as the capital of both Johor Sultanate and Riau-Lingga Sultanate.

A fixed link or fixed crossing is a permanent, unbroken road or rail connection across water that uses some combination of bridges, tunnels, and causeways and does not involve intermittent connections such as drawbridges or ferries. A bridge–tunnel combination is commonly used for major fixed links.

The Indonesia–Singapore border is a maritime boundary in the Straits of Singapore between Indonesia's Riau Islands which lie to the south of the border, and the islands of Singapore which lie to the north. The Straits of Singapore is one of the region's busiest waterways as it is the main channel for Singapore's ports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kundur Island</span> Island within the Riau Archipelago, Indonesia

Kundur Island is an island within the Riau Archipelago, part of the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. It lies at about 80 kilometres southwest of Singapore, 76 kilometres (47 mi) southwest of Batam, 32 kilometres (20 mi) south of Great Karimun Island, 172 kilometres (107 mi) northwest of Lingga Islands and 120 kilometres (75 mi) west of Tanjung Pinang. It has an area of about 304 square kilometres (117 sq mi), not including Buru District. According to the 2010 Census population, the population of Kundur Island was 67,090. As Kundur does not have an airport, all visitors arrive by ferry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indonesia–Singapore relations</span> Bilateral relations

Indonesia and Singapore established diplomatic relations on 7 September 1967, a month after the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on 8 August 1967. Indonesia and Singapore are two of the five founding members of ASEAN. Both nations are also members of the Non-Aligned Movement and APEC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riau-Lingga Sultanate</span> 1824–1911 Malay sultanate in Southeast Asia

Riau-Lingga Sultanate, also known as the Lingga-Riau Sultanate, Riau Sultanate or Lingga Sultanate was a Malay sultanate that existed from 1824 to 1911, before being dissolved following Dutch intervention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riau Strait</span> Strait in Indonesia

Riau Strait is a strait in Riau Archipelago. The Riau Strait separates islands of Batam and Bintan. It is an important commercial waterway to the port of Singapore.

The Batam-Bintan Bridge, also known as the Babin Bridge is a proposed series of cable-stayed bridges crossing the Riau Strait between the islands of Batam and Bintan in the Riau Islands of Indonesia, near Singapore. The cost is estimated at 13.66 trillion rupiah, which is planned to be provided under a joint government-enterprises financing scheme. As of 2023, soil investigation is in progress but construction work has not commenced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batam metropolitan area</span> Place in Riau Islands, Indonesia

Batam metropolitan area or officially Batam Raya is a metropolitan area located in Indonesia. This area includes Batam city and its surrounding areas such as Tanjung Pinang city, Bintan Regency, Karimun Regency. This region of Riau Islands province near of strait of malacca the bussiest shipping line in the world. It has an area of 3,432.7 km2, and at the 2023 estimate had a population of 1,941,225

References

  1. Karen Peachey; Martin Perry; Carl Grundy-Warr (1998). The Riau Islands and Economic Cooperation in the Singapore Indonesian Border Zone. IBRU. p. 48. ISBN   978-1-897643-27-3.
  2. "Govt urged to consider Batam-Singapore bridge". The Jakarta Post. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  3. "RSIS Riau Roundtable 2010 on 'The Bridge between the Riau Archipelago and Singapore: The Implementation of FTZs and Investment Opportunities'" (PDF). Traders Hotel-Singapore. 16 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  4. "Masterplan: Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia Economic Development 2011-2025" (PDF). Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Republic of Indonesia. 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2012.