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Straits of Johor

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The Straits of Johor (also known as the Tebrau Strait, Johor Strait, Selat Johor, Selat Tebrau, and Tebrau Reach, also spelled Johore Strait) is an international tidal strait in Southeast Asia, between Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia.

Straits of Johor
Detailed map of Malaysia and Singapore with the Johor Strait outlines in blue.
The strait is located between Malaysia and Singapore
Coordinates1°26′48″N 103°45′13″E / 1.44667°N 103.75361°E / 1.44667; 103.75361
TypeStrait
Part ofMalacca Straits
Basin countriesMalaysia
Singapore
Max. length50 km (31 mi)
Max. width1.6 km (0.99 mi)
Average depth
12 m (39 ft)
Max. depth40 m (130 ft) between Sarimbun Rocks and Horseshoe Reef[1]
Islands
Settlements
Location
Map
Interactive map of Straits of Johor
Eastern entrance to the Strait, aerial view with Singapore Island (left) & Pulau Ubin (background).
Aerial view of the Straits of Johor from Singapore with a view of the Johor-Singapore Causeway
The Johor-Singapore Causeway spanning the Strait, viewed from Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore.

Geography

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The straits separate the Malaysian state of Johor on the mainland Malay Peninsula to the north, from Singapore and its islands to the south. It connects to the Strait of Malacca to the west, and the Singapore Strait to the southeast and can therefore be called an Estuary.

The mouth and delta of the Johor River is on its northeast side in Malaysia.

Crossings

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There are currently two bridges crossing the straits. The Johor–Singapore Causeway, known simply as "The Causeway", links Johor Bahru and Woodlands in Singapore. The Malaysia–Singapore Second Link bridge is further west, and links Iskandar Puteri in Malaysia and Tuas in Singapore.

In 2003, Malaysia wanted to build a bridge across the straits to replace the existing causeway, but negotiations with Singapore were not successful. The main reasons cited for the change were:

  1. a bridge would allow free flow of water across both sides of the straits, whereas the causeway artificially cuts the straits in two (this would allow ships to bypass the port of Singapore).
  2. a bridge would help ease congestion in Johor Bahru.

In August 2003, Malaysia announced that it was going ahead with a plan to build a gently sloping, curved bridge that would join up with Singapore's half of the existing causeway. The plans included a swing bridge for the railway line.[2] However, plans to build the bridge were called off by Malaysia as of 2006 after Singapore said it was amenable to the bridge if the negotiations include other bilateral matters such as the use of Malaysian airspace by Singapore's air force and the buying of water and sand resources from Malaysia.[3] Malaysia viewed Singapore's proposal as a compromise on its sovereignty.[4]

Other proposed crossings include Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System and Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high-speed rail. Both of which would have started construction in 2019 but have since been delayed due to the change of political administration in Malaysia in 2018 and the ongoing efforts to reduce national debts incurred previously under Najib Razak's administration.[5][6]

Tributaries

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Major tributaries which empty into the Strait of Johore estuary include:

In the Malay language, Sungai is the word for river.

Ecology

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Pollution along the Johore Strait is notable.[7]

The area is also a source of environmental contention between Malaysia and Singapore, due to land reclamation projects on both sides of the Causeway.[8] There have been suggestions that the ongoing land reclamation projects may impact the maritime boundary, shipping lanes, and water ecology of the Malaysian side. Environmental Impact Assessments are requested before any reclamation is carried out such as the Forest City project.[9]

Reclamation and redevelopment projects may also endanger the livelihood of indigenous sea nomad communities and the habitat and food source of dugongs, which are native to the strait.[10] [11]

History

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The Johore Strait was historically sometimes mislabeled[12] as "Old Strait of Singapore" which today would be around Keppel Harbour, instead of correctly Tebrau Strait.[13] Due to its shallow and dangerous waters it was mainly used by Orang Laut sea people, specifically Orang Seletar and, since the 15th century, hosted Malay kampongs of the Johor Sultanate.[14] Portuguese and later Dutch[15] colonial powers, while generally focused on the "New Strait" (today's Singapore Strait) sometimes tried to block access to the Johore Strait to force trade southwards[16].

The Johore Strait is the location of two Victoria Cross deeds. The award was for Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser and Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis for the sinking of the 9,850-tonne Japanese cruiser Takao on 31 July 1945.[17]

The Johore Strait has considerably changed depth and narrowed over time due to reclamation and construction[18]. It has also accumulated sediment after the construction of the causeway which changed its ecology significantly.[19]

Places of interest

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A well known tourist attraction of the Strait of Johore's is Lido Beach, located on the Malaysian side in Johor Bahru.[20][21]

The Strait of Johor still hosts a few indigenous Orang Seletar sea nomad communities endangered by reclamation and reconstruction projects[22], for example in Kampungs Sungai Melayu, Sungai Temon or Jawa.

References

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  1. ↑ "West Johor Strait, Putri Narrows". www.nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  2. ↑ Shari, Izatun (17 February 2003). "Singapore objected to bridge to replace Causeway". Archived from the original on 28 April 2003.
  3. ↑ Teoh, Shannon (2015-04-13). "Najib, Mahathir on 'crooked bridge': What is the issue about". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  4. ↑ "Govt: Declassified documents 'put the record straight' on bridge issue - Nation | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  5. ↑ Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh (2018-05-31). "JB-Singapore RTS link still on, says minister". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  6. ↑ "KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail formally postponed; service targeted to start by Jan 2031". CNA. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  7. ↑ "Clean-up of Johor Straits to begin in September". AsiaOne. 16 Jun 2008. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Chong, Zi Liang. "Singapore concerned over Johor Strait projects". AsiaOne. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "Press Releases". MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  10. ↑ Ponnampalam, Louisa S.; Fairul Izmal, J.H.; Adulyanukosol, Kanjana; Ooi, Jillian L.S.; Reynolds, John E. III (October 2015). "Aligning conservation and research priorities for proactive species and habitat management: the case of dugongs Dugong dugon in Johor, Malaysia". Oryx. 49 (4): 743–749. doi:10.1017/S0030605313001580.
  11. ↑ Hashim, Mazlan; Ito, Shuhei; Numata, Shinya; Hosaka, Tetsuro; Hossain, Mohamad S.; Misbari, Syarifuddin; Yahya, Nurul N.; Ahmad, Samsudin (2017). "Using fisher knowledge, mapping population, habitat suitability and risk for the conservation of dugongs in Johor Straits of Malaysia". Marine Policy. 78: 18–25. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2017.01.002.
  12. ↑ Cornelius-Takahama, Vernon. "Strait of Johor". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board of Singapore.
  13. ↑ Gibson-Hill, C.A. (1956). Singapore: Old Strait & New Harbour, 1300–1870. Singapore: Government Printing Office.
  14. ↑ Samsudin, Noor Aimran (2025). "The Role of River Estuaries in Shaping Traditional Malay Kampong in Johor State, Malaysia: A Descriptive Analysis". Planning Malaysia. 23 (39). Malaysian Institute of Planners. doi:10.21837/pm.v23i39.1929.
  15. ↑ Lim, Irene (January–March 2016). "The Map That Opened Up Southeast Asia". BiblioAsia. Vol. 11, no. 4. Singapore: National Library Board.
  16. ↑ Borschberg, Peter (2010). The Singapore and Melaka Straits: Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th Century (Reprint 2025 ed.). Singapore: National University of Singapore Press. p. 41.
  17. ↑ "No. 37346". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 November 1945. pp. 5529–5530.
  18. ↑ Wang, X.G.; Su, F.Z.; Zhang, J.J.; Cheng, F.; Hu, W.Q.; Ding, Z. (April 2019). "Construction land sprawl and reclamation in the Johor River Estuary of Malaysia since 1973". Ocean & Coastal Management. 171: 87–95. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.01.006.
  19. ↑ S., Zahirah; Klein, Joseph R.; Bogart, Gillian; Keller, Kirsten; Huang, Wayne; Gutierrez, Kathleen (23 January 2025). "Coastlines in Motion: A Sedimentary Rethinking of Southeast Asia". Engaging Science, Technology, and Society. 11 (2): 20–38. doi:10.17351/ests2025.3083. ISSN 2413-8053.
  20. ↑ "Reclaimed land in JB caves in". The Star. 14 Nov 2010. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  21. ↑ "Malaysian workers use risky shortcut to evade Causeway jam". Sin Chew Daily. 21 Jun 2015. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  22. ↑ Yusof, Amir (25 Jun 2022). "'In 10 years, we may no longer be here': Johor's Orang Seletar threatened by dwindling seafood catch". Channel News Asia.
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