Lighthouses of Indonesia: Southern Sumatra

Indonesia has been independent since 1945, after having been the Dutch East Indies for more than 350 years. It is a huge country, stretching along both sides of the Equator for more than 46 degrees of longitude (roughly 5100 km or 3200 miles). Comprised of some 17,000 islands (more than 6000 inhabited islands), it has hundreds of major aids to navigation. Unfortunately, it's difficult to know how many of these aids can be considered lighthouses. Information about them is scarce, and photos are even scarcer. Official light lists contain dozens of entries for "framework towers" and "white beacons," providing little guidance for the lighthouse fan. Sumatra (or, as Indonesians prefer, Sumatera) is the world's sixth largest island and the westernmost of the major islands of Indonesia. It is separated from Malaysia to the north by the Malacca Strait, from Borneo to the northeast by the broad Karimata Strait, and from Java to the southeast by the Sunda Strait. Its south coast faces the open Indian Ocean. This page includes lighthouses of the central and southern portions of the island, including the provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Lampung, Bengkulu, and West Sumatra. This page is probably not complete. Listed here are towers at locations known to be historic Dutch light stations, plus some additional sites at which there is some evidence for a lighthouse. Added to this is an appeal for more information and photos; if you know about lighthouses in Indonesia, please share that knowledge. Note: Lighthouses of Bangka and Belitung, formerly listed under Sumatra, now have a separate page. The Indonesian word for a lighthouse is mercusuar. The phrase menara suar, which includes the Arabic word menara, is sometimes used instead. Tanjung and ujung are words for capes, pulau is an island, selat is a strait, and teluk is a harbor. Aids to navigation in Indonesia are operated and maintained by the Indonesian Directorate of Marine Navigation (Indomarinav). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volumes F and K of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112. General Sources Historical Lighthouses From Indomarinav, information on four surviving Dutch lighthouses. KITLV Beeldbank Historic photos from the collection of the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies. Indonesian Lighthouses Historic postcard views from the collection of Michel Forand.

Tanjung Medang Light, Pulau Rupat, April 2006 Panoramio photo by Grahabudayaindonesia; used by permission

Riau Province Lighthouses

Malacca Strait Lighthouses

Pulau Jemur

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 46 m (151 ft); white flash every 5 s. 24 m (79 ft) skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A small photo is available, but the island is only a blur in Google's satellite view. Pulau Jemur is the largest of the Arwah island group east of Tanjungbalai in the Strait of Malacca, about 50 km (30 mi) offshore and 75 km (45 mi) from the Malaysian coast. (Malaysia also claims the islands, but the Indonesian Navy maintains the Pulau Batu Mandi station on the easternmost island to establish sovereignty.) The Riau provincial government is interested in developing tourist facilities on Pulau Jemur, but admits that conditions are somewhat primitive at the present time. Accessible only by boat; speedboat transportation is available from Bagansiapiapi. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-201; Admiralty F1386; NGA 22484.

Pulau Batumandi (Batu Mandi) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a 2-story concrete keeper's house. Entire lighthouse painted white. This station is staffed by the Indonesian Navy. A photo is at right. Located on a rocky reef near the center of the Malacca Strait, about 13 km (8 mi) east of Pulau Jemur. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1388; NGA 22484.5. Tanjung Medang Date unknown. Active; focal plane 52 m (171 ft); white flash every 10 s. 50 m (164 ft) square tapered skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Keeper's houses nearby. A photo is at the top of this page, a distant view are available, and Bing has a good satellite view. Tanjung Medang is an important landmark marking the entrance to the narrow section of the Strait. Located on a swampy cape at the northern tip of Pulau Rupat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-315; Admiralty F1395; NGA 22492. Raleigh Shoal Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 13 m (43 ft) tower, probably mounted on a caisson or concrete pier. Lighthouse painted black with one red horizontal band. No photo available. Located on the south side of the main ship channel of the Malacca Strait, northeast of Pulau Rupat. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1396; NGA 22500. Morong Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 25 m (82 ft) "beacon." No further information available, and the tower has not been found in Google's satellite view of the area. Located at an estuary entrance on the east side of Pulau Rupat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-171; Admiralty F1395.5; NGA 22496.

Pulau Batu Mandi Light anonymous Creative Commons photo (no longer online)

Rob Roy Bank

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) tower, probably mounted on a caisson or concrete pier. Lighthouse painted black with one red horizontal band. No photo available. Located on the south side of the main ship channel of the Malacca Strait, east of Pulau Rupat. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1397; NGA 22508.

Bengkalis

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) tower. Bengkalis is a small city on the south side of the island of Bengkalis, just off the mainland of Sumatra. The navigational light is probably mounted on a square skeletal communications tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands, seen in the background of many photos of the town. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1407; NGA 22544.

Tanjung Parit

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); white flash every 5 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a distant satellite view of the area. Located on a swampy cape at the northeastern corner of Bengkalis Island. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-320; Admiralty F1413.5; NGA 22580.

Berhala Strait Lighthouses

Tanjung Datuk Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 5 s. 25 m (82 ft) "white beacon." No photo available, and Google has only a distant satellite view of the area. Located on a swampy point on the west side of the Berhala Strait, which separates Sumatra from the Riau Islands. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-300; Admiralty F1429; NGA 22616. Jambi Province Lighthouses Selat Berhala (Berhala Strait) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); three white flashes every 14 s. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a distant satellite view of the area. Located on Tanjung Jabung, the mainland cape on the south side of the entrance to Berhala Strait, which separates Pulau Singkap from the mainland near the southern end of Riau Province. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-273; Admiralty K0975; NGA 22726. Berhala Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white light, 5 s on, 10 s off. 21 m (69 ft) cast iron skeletal tower, painted white. Taufik Hidayatullah's photo is at right, and Tajri Dannur also has a photo, but the island is only a blur in Google's satellite view. Pulau Berhala is a small island in the middle of the Berhala Strait, which separates the Linga Islands from the Sumatran mainland. Note: There is another Pulau Berhala off northern Sumatra, and another off the coast of Sabah in East Malaysia. For many years, jurisdiction over this Pulau Berhala was in dispute between Jambi and the Riau Islands province; this dispute was resolved in Jambi's favor in 2011. Located on an islet a few miles east northeast of Pulau Berhala. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-111; Admiralty K0976; NGA 22728.

Berhala Light, Berhala Strait, July 2007 Panoramio photo by Taufik Hidayatullah; used by permission

South Sumatra Province Lighthouse

Pulau Maspari (Lucipara) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 5 s. 48 m (157 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. A distant view is available, and Bing has only a distant satellite view of the island. This lighthouse guides vessels approaching the southern entrance to the Bangka Strait, which separates Sumatra from Bangka. It is often grouped with the Bangka lighthouses, but the island is in South Sumatra province. Located on a small island about 13 km (8 mi) off the Sumatran coast at the southern entrance to the strait. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-024; Admiralty K0983; NGA 22916. Lampung Province Lighthouses Sunda Strait Lighthouses (see also Java) Pulau Segama Date unknown. Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); white flash every 5 s. 40 m (131 ft) square tapered skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A photo is at right, but the island is only a blur in Google's satellite view. This lighthouse guides vessels approaching the northern entrance to Sunda Strait. Located on a small island about 30 km (19 mi) off the Sumatran coast and 80 km (50 mi) north of the entrance to the strait. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-246; Admiralty K1043; NGA 23380. Tanjung Tua Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, and Google has only a distant satellite view of the cape. This lighthouse is at the southeastern corner of Sumatra and marks the west side of the northern entrance to Sunda Strait. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-331; Admiralty K0927; NGA 23016. Serdang Date unknown. Active; focal plane 62 m (203 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) "red lantern on white framework tower," according to NGA. No photo available, and the location is only a blur in Google's satellite view. This lighthouse is on an island on the west side of the south entrance to Sunda Strait, in the mouth of the bay of Panjang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-276; Admiralty K0926.5; NGA 23020.

Pulau Segama Light, Java Sea, June 2004 photo copyright Indonesia Sea Turtle Foundation permission requested

Maitem

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); white flash every 8 s. Approx. 35 m (115 ft) square tapered skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the southeastern tip of an island projecting into the west side of the bay of Panjang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K0923.2; NGA 23064.

Tanjung Cukuhbalambing (Vlakken Hoek, Balimbing, Belimbing) 1880. Active; focal plane 63 m (207 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 58 m (190 ft) 16-sided cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Max Highlander's view from the sea is at right, Arif Prasetyo has a closeup photo (2nd photo on the page), the Rijksmuseum has a scale model, and Bing has a good satellite view of the station. Endangered; Prasetyo visited in early 2011 and found the lighthouse to be in "fragile" condition. Prefabricated at The Hague by Enthoven and Co., this historic lighthouse marks the southern point of Sumatra; it is a landfall light for eastbound ships approaching the Sunda Strait. The tsunami waves created by the eruption of Krakatoa in August 1883 damaged the first floor of the lighthouse and destroyed the keeper's house and other station buildings. The light station is now included in the Tambling National Park. Located on the point of the cape near Balimbing. Site status unknown, but there is road access to the area. ARLHS IDO-082; Admiralty K0914; NGA 23076. Ujung Cukubatuberagam Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. NGA provides no description for this light, but Google's satellite view reveals a white, presumably skeletal, tower, probably with lantern and gallery. Located on a hook-shaped promontory about 50 km (30 mi) northwest of the historic Vlakken Hoek lighthouse. Site status unknown. Admiralty K0911; NGA 23086. Krui Area (Indian Ocean) Lighthouses Ujung Walor (Walur) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); continuous white light. 40 m (131 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view of the cape. Located on a promontory near Krui. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-353; Admiralty K0910; NGA 23088.

Tanjung Cukuhbalambing (Vlakken Hoek) Light, July 2008 Panoramio photo copyright Max Highlander; used by permission

Krui (Tanjung Salobu)

1904 (?). Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white flash every 5 s. 13 m (43 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. A distant view is available, but the tower is not conspicuous in Google's satellite view of the location. It seems likely that the present tower is the original. Krui is popular with surfers and has a number of resorts. Located on a steep bluff near Krui. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-051; Admiralty K0906; NGA 23092.

Pulau Pisang (Teluk Krui)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 76 m (249 ft); one long white flash every 15 s. 31 m (102 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. The lighthouse appears on the left in a photo taken from the mainland (click on the photo for magnification). Google has a satellite view of the area, but the location of the lighthouse is not clear. Located on an island about 15 km (9 mi) northwest of Krui. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-082; Admiralty K0904; NGA 23096.

Bengkulu Province Lighthouses

Indian Ocean Lighthouses

Tanjung Bandar (2)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 3 s. 16 m (52 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, probably with lantern and gallery, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This is probably the original lighthouse. Located on a promontory about 1 km (0.6 mi) south of Bintuhan. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-294; Admiralty K0898; NGA 23099.

Tanjung Manna

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. Approx. 23 m (75 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a low headland southwest of Manna, the capital of the South Bengkulu Regency. Site status unknown. Admiralty K0897; NGA 23100.

Pulau Enggano (Malakoni) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Bing has an indistinct satellite view that probably shows the lighthouse. Enggano is a substantial island in the Indian Ocean, measuring roughly 30 km by 15 km (19 mi by 9 mi), about 100 km (60 mi) west of Krui. It has only a small population and is rarely visited. The lighthouse is apparently located on a bluff on the north coast of the island near the village of Belowa. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-197; Admiralty K0895; NGA 23101. * Pulau Tikus (3?) Date unknown (station established 1883). Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); white light, 5 s on, 5 s off. 30 m (98 ft) cylindrical tower with gallery, painted white. A small photo is available (#10 of 14 on the page), but Bing's satellite view of the island doesn't show the tower. Forand has a distant postcard view of what is believed to be the second tower. The light station is reported to be staffed. Note: There is another Pulau Tikus lighthouse in West Malaysia. Located on a tiny island about 10 km (6 mi) southwest of Bengkulu; boat transportation to the island can be hired in Bengkulu. Accessible only by boat. Site open, apparently it is possible to climb the tower. ARLHS IDO-254; Admiralty K0884; NGA 23104. Pulau Mega (Pulau Mego) Date unknown (clearly recent). Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); white flash every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. The island is the site of a tectonic monitoring station installed in 2008 by Caltech University in a project aimed at measuring tectonic strains in this earthquake-prone area. One of Caltech's photos is at right, but Bing has only a distant satellite view of the island. Located on a small island about 160 km (100 mi) west southwest of Bengkulu. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty K0883.95; NGA 23101.7.

Pulau Mego Light, 2008 Caltech Tectonics Observatory photo

West Sumatra Province Lighthouses

Southern West Sumatra Lighthouses

Pulau Katangkatang (2)

Date unknown (station established 1898). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); three white flashes every 22 s. 20 m (66 ft) cast iron skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available. The original lighthouse was a skeletal tower with a focal plane height of 20 m (66 ft). Located on a small island about 25 km (15 mi) off the coast and about 150 km (90 mi) south of Padang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-202; Admiralty K0880; NGA 23140.

Pulau Karaba Kecil

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. Approx. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery. Several 1-story buildings. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located on a tiny island about 20 km (13 mi) offshore and 80 km (50 mi) south of Padang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-202; Admiralty K0875; NGA 23154.

Pulau Nyamuk (Nuamuk) Date unknown (station established 1913). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 31 m (102 ft) cast iron skeletal tower, painted white. No current photo available, and Bing has only a distant satellite view of the island. This lighthouse might survive. NGA notes that the light has become obscured by palm trees; if so, they are very tall palms. Located on a small island about 8 km (5 mi) off the coast and about 50 km (30 mi) south of Padang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-229; Admiralty K0874; NGA 23156. Padang Area Lighthouses Note: The Padang area suffered a devastating earthquake on 30 September 2009. We do not know how area lighthouses fared during the quake. *** Ujung Batumandi (Ujung Sungei Bramei, Padang) (2) Date unknown (station established 1891). Active; focal plane 161 m (528 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 14 m (46 ft) white round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story keeper's house. A photo is at the top of this page, Yulnofrins Napilus has an excellent photo, a 2012 photo and a 2008 photo are available, there are photos taken inside the lighthouse (1/4 to 1/2 the way down the page), and Google has a good satellite view. The original lighthouse was a skeletal tower with lantern. This is one of the most accessible lighthouses of the Sumatran mainland. Located just off the coastal highway on a sharp promontory about 10 km (6 mi) south of Padang. Site open, tower open but the schedule is not known. ARLHS IDO-086; Admiralty K0864; NGA 23164. [Pulau Pisang (3)] Date unknown (station established 1880). Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); green flashing light. 10 m (33 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. No current photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The second light was a substantial stone tower built sometime after 1895. Possibly this lighthouse was lost in an earthquake. Located on the southern tip of a small island about 2 km (1.25 mi) off the coast at Padang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-242; Admiralty K0861; NGA 23184. Pulau Karsik Date unknown (station established 1917). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. 31m (102 ft) cast iron skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available; Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a small island about 4 km (2.5 mi) off the coast near Pariaman and about 80 km (50 mi) north of Padang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS IDO-205; Admiralty K0850; NGA 23196.

Ujung Batumandi Light, Padang, October 2008 Panoramio photo copyright vault350; permission requested

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Bengkulu Mole Lights (?-?), Bengkulu

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Malaya West Coast | Northeast: Riau Islands | East: Bangka-Belitung | Southeast: Western Java | Northwest: Northern Sumatra

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Posted April 13, 2006. Checked and revised November 9, 2012. Lighthouses: 32. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.