| Disputed reefs and shoal | |
|---|---|
 Luconia Breakers, the only feature of the Luconia Shoals reef complex that exposed at high tide | |
  Luconia Shoals | |
| Other names | Gugusan Beting Raja Jarum(Malay) Gugusan Beting Patinggi Ali(Malay) 北康暗沙 Běikāng ànshā(Chinese) 南康暗沙 Nánkāng ànshā(Chinese) |
| Geography | |
| Location | South China Sea |
| Coordinates | 05°36′N112°36′E / 5.600°N 112.600°E /5.600; 112.600 |
| Administration | |
| State | Sarawak, Division and District ofMukah, Subdistrict of Balingian |
| Claimed by | |
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TheLuconia Shoals, divided into the North and South Luconia Shoals, and sometimes known as the Luconia Reefs, are one of the largestreef andshoal complexes in theSouth China Sea.[1] Some geographers classify the shoals as the southernmost part of theSpratly Islands.[2] It is claimed byMalaysia, thePeople's Republic of China (mainland China), and theRepublic of China (Taiwan).
The Luconia Shoals and its surrounds are currently administered byMalaysia. The shoals have beengazetted as the country's largestmarine national park in 2018,[3] and also host several major Malaysianoil and natural gas exploration projects in the surrounding waters.[4]
Luconia Shoals are a group of submergedshoals andreefs in theSouth China Sea, which divided into North Luconia Shoals and South Luconia Shoals.
The name "Luconia" originally comes from an old name forLuzon Island in thePhilippines, depicted in old Latin, Italian, and Portuguese maps as "Luçonia" or "Luconia".[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] However, the direct origin of the name Luconia Shoals comes from theBritish shipLuconia, 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 of1+1⁄2 fathoms (2.7 m), composed of hard rocks, and lying in a north-northeast to south-southwest direction.[13] This discovery led to the shoals being named after the vessel.
Malaysia refers to North Luconia Shoals asGugusan Beting Raja Jarum ('Raja Jarum Shoal Group'), named after Datu' Undi, aMinangkabau leader inSarawak who adopted the title Raja Jarum.[14] Both thePeople's Republic of China and theRepublic of China (Taiwan) refer to North Luconia Shoals asBeikang Ansha (Chinese:北康暗沙;pinyin:Běikāng Ànshā;lit. 'north-kang shoals').[15]
Malaysia refers to South Luconia Shoals asGugusan Beting Patinggi Ali ('Patinggi Ali Shoal Group'), named afterDatu Patinggi Ali, a well-knownSarawak Malay leader who led resistance against theBrunei Empire.[16][17] Both thePeople's Republic of China and theRepublic of China (Taiwan) refer to South Luconia Shoals asNankang Ansha (Chinese:南康暗沙;pinyin:Nánkāng Ànshā;lit. 'south-kang shoals').[15]
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".[18]
Currently, neitherMalaysia,People's Republic of China (mainland China) norRepublic of China (Taiwan) has an official general name for the entire Luconia Shoals.
The shoals lie around 100 kilometres (62 mi) off theSarawak coast ofBorneo, inside theexclusive economic zone (EEZ) ofMalaysia, and around 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) frommainland China. The shoals are either part of the Spratly Islands,[2] or southeast of what some sources consider to be the southernmost members of the Spratly Islands, such asLouisa Reef.[19] Extending over an area of several thousand square kilometres, both the north and south groups of the shoals are permanently submerged at depths of 5 to 40 metres (16 to 131 ft) below sea level, with the exception of Luconia Breakers. There are extensive oil and natural gas resources under the seabed in this area,[1] which is also home to various fish includingmanta rays,wrasse, andgrouper.[20] The shoals are also where the British barqueViscount Melbourne was wrecked on 5 January 1842.[21]
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 2½fathoms.[2][22] 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.[23]
The Luconia shoals are administered byMalaysia, and are claimed by theRepublic of China (Taiwan) and thePeople's Republic of China.
The shoals are administered by Malaysia,[24] and theRoyal Malaysian Navy andMalaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency maintains a 24/7 presence in the area to monitor the shoals.[25] Malaysia's Fisheries Research Institute has conducted studies on the area since 2004.[26] Malaysia organises an annual International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament on the shoals with participants departing from the Marina Bay inMiri and heading up to the area for 3 days. The participant who catches the biggest fish is proclaimed the winner of the tournament.[27][28]
On 31 August 2015, amateur marine archaeologist Captain Hans Berekoven with his wife and a team of marine researchers, as well as theSarawak Museum curator, went to the shoals to plant aMalaysian flag.[24] 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 theSunda Shelf may have hosted a civilisation 12,000 years ago.[21]
In June 2015, Malaysian authorities detected aChina Coast Guard vessel entering the area. It appears to be anchored at the shoals, about 150 kilometres north of Malaysian Borneo—well inside the 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi)exclusive economic zone claimed by Malaysia. The Chinese vessel has been warned to leave the area and is monitored closely by theRoyal Malaysian Navy. Malaysia lodged a protest over China's incursion into its waters,[29] 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 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) 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.[30] There have also been reports that crews aboard the Chinese vessel threatened to shoot local Malaysian fishermen who attempted to fish in the area.[31]
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".[32]
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