Tanjung Rimau Security Barriers - Some changes and slight improvements

The sky presented itself with a beautiful sunset as I did an update on the security barriers at Tanjung Rimau, Sentosa.

Sunset from Sentosa

How have the security barriers progressed after my last visit in August 2013? Were there improvements done or has situation worsened?
There were only one obvious change made to the line of security barriers at Tg Rimau. The drums chained on the high shore, some of which were broken, were removed.

Let us see the progression of the drums on the high shore since I started documenting this in April 2013.

[Image taken in April 2013]

Here's a picture I took in August, showing where the blue drums starts from the high shore.

Blue drums starts right next to where this photo was taken, furthest on the high shore.
[Image from August 2013]

Here's the picture I took on this trip landwards, showing that the blue drums starts on the rocky - sandy high shore.

Obvious different between the April photo and the photo taken on this trip.

With the drums removed from the high shore, no more sighs of broken drums and contents spilling onto the rocky surfaces.

Wider view of the high shore, where the connecting chains can be seen.

The chains are anchored at the same spot.

This is where the line of drums begins from the shore. The concrete cube is visible in the background.

Start of the line of drums.

I am not sure if the drums are serviced and changed regularly, but when the tides goes out, the organisms (mostly algae and some barnacles) growing on the lower parts of the drums are revealed.

Blue drums resting on the reefy shore when the tides goes out.

Other than the improvements done on the high shore, the rest of the line looks the same as what I saw during my last visit. The concrete cube which the line of drums is attached to is still sitting at the spot while the drums forms a corner.

Concrete cube and drum corner.

Here's an overview video of the security barrier line near the concrete cube is.


As it was an evening trip, I had to move and work fast checking out this barrier line as it is rather difficult to document them when the light goes dim in the sky.

As mentioned in my previous update about the security barriers, there was a tilted buoy along this line of barriers which might have caused the change in the outline of the barriers on this shore. The image taken in August showed the buoy tilted at about 45 degrees to the horizon.

Tilted buoy documented in August.

On this trip, the same buoy is resting on the reef and it looks different. The buoy is almost horizontal on the reef.

The buoy at the same location.

On the reef where the buoy is resting on, it looks pale as though the parts have been scraping the surface.

Buoy on the reef.

Pale surfaces caused by the buoy?

I am assuming that this is the same buoy as the one I saw in August. Some markings have "disappeared" and it is difficult to make comparison.

Markings on the lower part of the buoy - "PCG" and "01"
[Image taken in August]

Image taken on this trip - Barely visible "PCG", missing "01", addition "W-2" markings

The blinking light attached at the tip of the buoy had been removed. And so is the stick with the cross.

Top of buoy, blinking light and cross point present.
[Image taken in August]

Cross point and blinking light missing.

The whole buoy is slowly being encrusted with some parts probably rusting away. This is a view where the blinking light was attached with the solar panels.

Rusting top and encrusted solar panels.

View of the whole buoy.

It was rather "exciting" having a closer look at this buoy as the ferry services to and from Batam make use of the waterway in front of this shore. This means that each time the ferry passes by, large waves generated by the ferry will reach the shore at Tg Rimau. Even at low tide, these large waves are rather strong, especially when I was already standing in just below knee deep water at the buoy. I had to scramble for slightly higher ground on the reef on two occasions, right next the circular structure while I grabbed onto the structure of the buoy.

This video will show how strong the ferry generated waves can be as they head towards the shallow shore.


There was a drum near the buoy that looked rather dented.

Dented drum.

Armed with a GPS device, I marked some coordinates along the security barrier line and tried to map out more accurate points on Google Earth. The purple line shows the rough line of the security barriers with the help of 5 GPS coordinate points. The short red line is the chain from the concrete cube to the drum "corner". The GPS coordinate marking end at the buoy ("Beacon" on the image).

Purple line shows the line of security barriers.

The shore at Tg Rimau is still pretty much alive as the sunsets. I came across many clusters of Tape Seagrass (Enhalus acoroides).

Tape seagrass

The shore area after the start of the barrier was so densely covered with the Hairy green seaweed (Bryopsis sp.) that I have to carefully place my foot so that I do not step on loose pieces of rubble or animals hiding under the seaweeds.

Thick layer of hairy green seaweed on the shore.

Unfortunately, my compact flash card from my DSLR has some problems and I could not extract out the photos. So no critter updates on what I saw during this trip. Hope that I will be able to recover my photos in that card.


Read more about the security barriers at Sentosa (in chronological order):
Security Barriers at Tanjung Rimau, Sentosa [28 April 2013]
Updates on Security Barrier at Tanjung Rimau, Sentosa [10 August 2013]

Security Barriers at Tanjung Rimau, Sentosa

In a blog post written by Ria Tan dated on 7 January 2013, she noticed the floating security barriers have been put up along the Sentosa shoreline by the Marin Police. Before that Ria mentioned in another post dated 26 June 2012 about the note from Port Marine Notice (dated 20 April 2012) about the construction of floating sea barrier at Sentosa Cove. In the notice, a map drawing shows the barrier possibly ending off at Tanjung Rimau, just off Rasa Sentosa.

Here are the images Ria took on 7 January:

From Ria's images it clearly shows a line of barrier parallel to the shoreline and it ends off with an opening.

While visiting the shore on Saturday's predawn intertidal trip, I took the opportunity to check out these floating security barrier and the possible damages it did to the natural shore. And it looked slightly different.

Here is a video of the security barrier:

And a still image

It seems that there was modification made to the floating security barrier to "closeup" the security along the shoreline of Sentosa.  Joining the line of barriers parallel to the shoreline is a closing line of barrier that cuts through the natural shore, ending at the rocky cliff.

"New" line of barrier that ends at the rocky cliff

Taking a closer look at how the blue drums are connected.

Connected by chains

The end of the barrier line is chained to a t-shaped construction metal bar, already beginning to rust while a loop goes through a rock wedged between a large opening.

Last drum on the line.

Chained up at the rocky cliff

More chains looping through a rock

In the midway of this additional barrier, there was a large concrete cube that looks like an aide to weigh the barriers down.

Concrete cube with chains

How the barriers flow past the concrete cube

On this part of the barrier, the chains were attached with some thick cables.

Thick cable

How has this line of security barrier affect the shore life?

Many of the barriers have been covered by algae, barnacles and possible other tiny marine life on the portions where the barriers will be submerged when the tide comes in. Some of the drums are hanging above the shore while some are sitting on the shore.

Drum with algae and barnacles growing, hanging slightly above the shore

Another drum, sitting on the shore

The actual impact of the floating security barrier is unknown and it requires further monitoring. It is possible that as the tides rises and the strong waves created by passing boats and ferries, the drums will sway and hit the shore in vertical and sideway manner.

A video shows how strong the waves can get and how rough the security barriers are rocking.

This natural shore of is monitored by TeamSeagrass and some of us who monitor our shores regularly. However we are always fighting with time and tide and there is just to many shores for us to cover. 

The next time I visit Tanjung Rimau again, I shall do a better check on the natural shore along the floating barriers.

Ending off, here's the view from the rocky cliff.