Singapore coral reefs could be buried under a new island. On August 23, 2026, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced plans for a new Western island, built over the coming decades for industry, energy and defence by merging Pulau Semakau, Pulau Bukom and Pulau Sudong with land reclamation. Pulau Hantu, Pulau Jong and Pulau Sebarok could be absorbed too. The final shape hasn't been made public. Singapore has done this before: Jurong Island was built by merging seven islands into a petrochemical hub.
Marine biologist Andrew Lewin explains what's at stake. Singapore's waters hold more than 250 species of hard coral and around 120 species of reef fish, even after losing about two-thirds of the country's original reef since the 1960s. According to Mongabay, the project area holds roughly 590 hectares of reef, about 60% of what Singapore has left. Huang Danwei, director of the National Institute for Marine and Ocean Sciences at the National University of Singapore, says the reefs around Hantu and Semakau are about 8,000 years old, and that "no technology will be able to recover 8000-year-old coral reefs buried by land reclamation." These reefs also supply coral larvae to reefs across the region.
So why not move the corals? Singapore tried in the 1990s. Before Jurong Island was built out, around 400 volunteer divers from the Nature Society (Singapore) spent more than 10,000 hours underwater cutting out sections of reef and moving them to Sentosa. About 35% were still alive a year later, and researchers Chou Loke Ming and Karenne Tun found the transplants showed no potential for long-term survival. Andrew covers the Orang Laut, Singapore's Indigenous sea people, who still fish these waters and say they weren't consulted, plus the studies the government has promised and the push for flexible boundaries. You'll leave with two questions to ask the next time a development promises to relocate a reef.
Chapters:
0:00 - 8,000-Year-Old Reefs Could Be Buried
1:12 - Jurong Island: Singapore Has Done This Before
2:28 - The Survival Numbers
3:34 - Pushing for Flexible Boundaries
4:02 - What's at Stake
Takeaways:
Singapore announced a new Western island on August 23, 2026, merging Pulau Semakau, Pulau Bukom and Pulau Sudong, possibly with Pulau Hantu, Pulau Jong and Pulau Sebarok. The final shape isn't public yet.
The project area holds roughly 590 hectares of reef, about 60% of Singapore's remaining reef (Mongabay).
Singapore still has more than 250 hard coral species and around 120 reef fish species, after losing about two-thirds of its reef since the 1960s.
Reefs around Hantu and Semakau are about 8,000 years old and help supply coral larvae to the wider region.
In Singapore's 1990s coral rescue, about 400 volunteers spent more than 10,000 hours moving corals to Sentosa. About 35% survived a year later.
Ferry wakes knocked loose corals that weren't fastened down.
Underwater epoxy has improved transplant survival in later projects.
Moving corals saves individual colonies. A working reef that feeds people, protects shorelines and supports hundreds of species takes hundreds to thousands of years to build.
Orang Laut families were moved off these islands in the 1970s, some still fish here with bubu traps, and community leaders say they weren't consulted.
The government says it will do environmental, technical and feasibility studies first. No timeline or reef relocation plan has been announced.
When a project promises to relocate a reef, ask what's being protected where it already is, and what the survival numbers looked like last time.
If there's a coastal project near you or near a reef you've dived, find its environmental assessment and ask when it goes public. That's when boundaries can still change.
#OceanConservation #MarineBiology #SaveOurOceans #ProtectTheOcean #OceanAwareness #BluePlanet #ConservationMatters #ScienceForChange #SustainableOceans
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