Luconia Shoals

The Luconia Shoals, divided into the North and South Luconia Shoals, and sometimes known as the Luconia Reefs, are one of the largest reef and shoal complexes in the South China Sea. Some geographers classify the shoals as the southernmost part of the Spratly Islands. p.2 It is claimed by Malaysia, the People's Republic of China (Mainland China), and the Republic of China (Taiwan).

The Luconia Shoals and its surrounds are currently administered by Malaysia. The shoals have been gazetted as the country's largest marine national park in 2018, and also host several major Malaysian oil and natural gas exploration projects in the surrounding waters.

Name

Luconia Shoals are a group of submerged shoals and reefs in the South China Sea, which divided into North Luconia Shoals and South Luconia Shoals.

The name "Luconia" originally comes from an old name for Luzon Island in the Philippines, depicted in old Latin, Italian, and Portuguese maps as "Luçonia" or "Luconia". However, the direct origin of the name Luconia Shoals comes from the British ship ''Luconia'', which discovered the shoals during its 1776 voyage. The ship’s findings recorded the shoals at approximately 5°24′N, 112°30′E, with a depth of , composed of hard rocks, and lying in a north-northeast to south-southwest direction. This discovery led to the shoals being named after the vessel.

North Luconia Shoals

Malaysia refers to North Luconia Shoals as Gugusan Beting Raja Jarum ('Raja Jarum Shoal Group'), named after Datu' Undi, a Minangkabau leader in Sarawak who adopted the title Raja Jarum. Both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) refer to North Luconia Shoals as Beikang Ansha ().

South Luconia Shoals

Malaysia refers to South Luconia Shoals as Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali ('Patinggi Ali Shoal Group'), named after Datu Patinggi Ali, a well-known Sarawak Malay leader who led resistance against the Brunei Empire. Both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) refer to South Luconia Shoals as Nankang Ansha ().

The Chinese name for the shoals, '''kang''' (康) is actually the shortened form of Lu-kang-ni-ya''' (盧康尼亞), which is a phonetic transliteration of the English name "Luconia".

Currently, neither Malaysia, People's Republic of China (Mainland China) nor Republic of China (Taiwan) has an official general name for the entire Luconia Shoals.

Location

The shoals lie around off the Sarawak coast of Borneo, inside the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Malaysia, and around from Mainland China. The shoals are either part of the Spratly Islands, or southeast of what some sources consider to be the southernmost members of the Spratly Islands, such as Louisa Reef. Extending over an area of several thousand square kilometres, both the north and south groups of the shoals are permanently submerged at depths of below sea level, with the exception of Luconia Breakers. There are extensive oil and natural gas resources under the seabed in this area, which is also home to various fish including manta rays, wrasse, and grouper. The shoals are also where the British barque was wrecked on 5 January 1842.

Features

Sierra Blanca Reef is sometimes listed separately from South Luconia Shoals, situated about 12 miles southwestward of the latter. Its least depth is given as 2½ fathoms. Besides, ''Beting Batu Puteh'' is not the official name released by Malaysia for Sierra Blanca Reef, but a name used informally.

Luconia Breakers, once only partially exposed at low tide, has now become permanently above water even at high tide. Satellite images have shown growth and massive man-made transformation in Luconia Shoals since 2014. It remains unclear whether the changes were carried out by China or Malaysia.

Satellite Images

North Luconia Shoals f 12.jpg, Landsat 7 image of North Luconia Shoals
South Luconia Shoals f 12.jpg, Landsat 7 image of South Luconia Shoals
not showing Herald Reef 5 km southwest of Luconia Breakers

Territorial disputes

The Luconia shoals are administered by Malaysia, and are claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China.

Malaysia

The shoals are administered by Malaysia, and the Royal Malaysian Navy and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency maintains a 24/7 presence in the area to monitor the shoals. Malaysia's Fisheries Research Institute has conducted studies on the area since 2004. Malaysia organises an annual International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament on the shoals with participants departing from the Marina Bay in Miri and heading up to the area for 3 days. The participant who catches the biggest fish is proclaimed the winner of the tournament.

On 31 August 2015, amateur marine archaeologist Captain Hans Berekoven with his wife and a team of marine researchers, as well as the Sarawak Museum curator, went to the shoals to plant a Malaysian flag. Berekoven said the move was important to warn China to back down, and to urge the Malaysian government to take a serious look into the archaeological history of the area because the Sunda Shelf may have hosted a civilisation 12,000 years ago.

China

In June 2015, Malaysian authorities detected a China Coast Guard vessel entering the area. It appears to be anchored at the shoals, about 150 kilometres north of Malaysian Borneo—well inside the exclusive economic zone claimed by Malaysia. The Chinese vessel has been warned to leave the area and is monitored closely by the Royal Malaysian Navy. Malaysia lodged a protest over China's incursion into its waters, as Chinese ships had been in Malaysian waters for more than two years. In a statement in 2015 by a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Shahidan Kassim, he said "We have never received any official claims from them (China) and they said the island (Beting Patinggi Ali) belongs to them, but the country is away. We are taking diplomatic action but in whatever approach, they have to get out of our national waters". The Malaysian government has since sent diplomatic notes every week to protest against the intrusion. There have also been reports that crews aboard the Chinese vessel threatened to shoot local Malaysian fishermen who attempted to fish in the area.

On 31 March 2016, Malaysia summoned the Chinese ambassador in Kuala Lumpur to protest the presence of around 100 Chinese fishing boats at Luconia Shoals. Until March, the Malaysian government rarely rebuked China in public to avoid disturbances to Sino-Malay relations as Beijing emerges as the Malaysian economy's main investor. Kuala Lumpur has "consistently played down China's activities in our territories", said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, a Malaysian think tank. "This could be to protect our commercial interest, or it could also be to avoid the public...realising how useless our defences are".

See also

* South China Sea Islands
* List of islands in the South China Sea
* Territorial disputes in the South China Sea

References

External links

Tactical Pilotage Chart 1:250,000
Map Sheet L-11 A

Oblique aerial photograph of Luconia Breakers
(drying reef)

{{Spratly Islands topics

Reefs of the Spratly Islands
Shoals of the Spratly Islands
Reefs of the South China Sea
Shoals of the South China Sea
Disputed reefs
Disputed shoals