Lighthouses of Malaysia: Malaya South Coast

The nation of Malaysia is in two parts: Peninsular Malaysia (also called West Malaysia or Malaya) on the southern end of the Malay Peninsula and Malaysian Borneo (East Malaysia) on the island of Borneo roughly 700 km (450 mi) to the east. West Malaysia is the former Federation of Malaya, a union of 11 states placed under British protectorate in the late 1800s. Malaya became independent in 1957. In 1963 the British granted independence to Malaysia, a new country formed by uniting Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah (North Borneo). Singapore, a predominantly Chinese city just off the tip of Malay Peninsula, left the union in 1965 and has been independent since.

Malaya faces one of the world's most important waterways, often called simply The Straits. The Strait of Malacca opens westward to the Indian Ocean and separates Malaya from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. At its southeastern end the Strait of Malacca joins the Singapore Strait, which connects to the Natuna Sea, South China Sea and Pacific Ocean.

Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy consisting of thirteen states and three federal territories. This page describes lighthouses of the south coast of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca in the states of Johor and Melaka.

The Malay term for a lighthouse is rumah api ("house of fire"); pulau is an island, terumbu is a reef, tanjung is a cape, bukit is a hill, sungai is a river, kuala is the mouth of a river, teluk is a bay, selat is a strait, and pelabuhan is a harbor.

Aids to navigation in Malaysia (except for Pulau Pisang) are the responsibility of the Marine Department (Jabatan Laut). Aids to navigation in the heavily-traveled Strait of Malacca are regulated by the Malacca Strait Council, a consortium of the maritime authorities of Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Lighthouses of Malaysia
Photos posted by Greenfinder.asia, a navigational aids and maritime services company.
Online List of Lights - Malaysia - Malacca Strait and Johor Strait
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. Most of the photos for this area are by Jim Smith, Capt. Theo Hinrichs ("Capt. Theo"), or Rainer Arndt.
Lighthouses in Malaysia
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Malaysia
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Malaysia
Historic postcard views posted by Michel Forand.
Leuchttürme Asiens, Australiens, und Ozeaniens auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart information for the Malacca Strait.

Malacca Light, Malacca, January 2024
Google Maps photo by Jerry Chien

Johor Lighthouses

Johor state occupies the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula opposite Singapore. The state has an east coast on the South China Sea and a west coast on the Strait of Malacca. Lighthouses of the east coast are described on the Southeast Malaya page. Prior to the arrival of the British the Sultanate of Johor controlled a large area of the Malay Peninsula as well as the Riau Islands and portions of Sumatra in what is now Indonesia.

Pontian District (Southern Johor) Lighthouses
Pulau Merambong
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 5 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) round cylindrical white concrere tower. Simon Tong has a 2018 drone view (a portion is at right), a view from the sea is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island just off the Singapore shore in the entrance to the Johor Strait. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1680; NGA 21686.
Tanjung Pelepas (Leading Light)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white, red or green light depending on direction, 5 s on, 5 s off. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) round white metal tower carrying a large slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. Greenfinder has a photo and Google has a satellite view. The light guides vessels arriving at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, a large containership port on the north side of the Johor Strait separating Malaysia from Singapore. Located at the tip of the cape near the southeast corner of the port. Site and tower closed. Admiralty F1678; NGA 21686.1.
Tanjung Piai
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower on a triangular platform supported by four piles. Greenfinder has a photo, Trabas has Smith's 2015 view of the light from the sea, a 2025 view is available, and Google has a distant satellite view. Tanjung (Cape) Piai, marked by this relatively modest modern light, is the southernmost tip of the mainland of Asia, 139 km (86 mi) north of the equator. This lighthouse also marks the west side of the entrance to Johor Strait, which separates Malaysia from Singapore. The area is a national park, with a jetty extending from the cape and a monument at its end marking the end of the continent. Aslam Yusof has a street view taken at the monument. Located a short distance offshore, about 5 km (3 mi) south of Serkat. Accessible only by boat; there is a distant view from the observation platform at the tip of the cape. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WMA-026; Admiralty F1674.5; NGA 22586.

Pulau Merambong Light, Johor Strait, September 2018
ex-Google Plus drone view by Simon Tong
Pengkalan Penghulu
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); two green flashes every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) white fiberglass post on a hexagonal platform supported by piles. Greenfinder has a photo and Google has a satellite view. Located about 800 m (1/2 mi) off Kampong Serkat and about 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of Tanjung Piai. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1676.5; NGA 21686.5.
Pulau Pisang
1914. Active; focal plane 150 m (492 ft); white flash every 10 s. 16 m (52 ft) round cylindrical cast iron tower, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. The original 1st order Fresnel lens was replaced with a 4th order lens in 1967. Lighthouse painted white. Mohamad Amirul Syafiq has the 2020 photo seen at right, a 2019 photo is available, a 2018 photo is available, Trabas has Capt. Theo's 2020 view from the sea, Forand has a historic postcard view and Google has a good satellite view. The lighthouse stands atop a wooded island on the east side of the shipping channel in the Strait of Malacca. The British government of Singapore, then part of the British colony of Straits Settlements, obtained the land for the light station and its access road in an agreement with the Sultan of Johor in 1900. Singapore's continued operation of the light is the cause of some friction with Malaysia, but Singapore recognizes Malaysian sovereignty over the island. In May 2008, after Malaysia lost its case before the International Court of Justice for sovereignty over the Horsburgh lighthouse islet, Malaysian MPs began calling for negotiations with Singapore about transferring the lighthouse to Malaysian control. In 2010 Malaysia formally annexed the island to Johor State and announced that Singapore workers sent to maintain the lighthouse must first register with Malaysian authorities at Pontian. Located on the highest point of Pulau Pisang, about 15 km (9 mi) east of Pontian Kechin. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/operator: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. ARLHS WMA-010; Admiralty F1668; NGA 21692.
Mudah Selatan (Mudah Shoal South)
Date unknown (recent). Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 25 m (82 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower mounted on a concrete platform on pilings. A series of shock absorbing structures is built beside the lighthouse as protection against collision with ships. Entire lighthouse is white. Greenfinder has a photo and Trabas has Capt. Theo's 2020 photo, but the light is not shown in Google's satellite view. Located about 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Pulau Pisang marking the southeastern toe of the long Mudah shoal separating the westbound and eastbound shipping lanes in the Strait of Malacca. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WMA-028; Admiralty F1669; NGA 21690.

Pulau Pisang Light, Strait of Malacca, August 2020
Google Maps photo by Mohamad Amirul Syafiq
Panjang Selatan
Date unknown (recent). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 5 s. 26 m (85 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower mounted on a square concrete platform on pilings. A series of shock absorbing structures is built beside the lighthouse as protection against collision with ships. Entire lighthouse is white. Trabas has Capt. Theo's 2020 photo (seen at right) and Greenfinder has a photo, but the light is not shown in Google's satellite view. Located about 19 km (12 mi) southwest of Pulau Pisang on the south side of the shipping lanes in the Strait of Malacca. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WMA-027; Admiralty F1669.1; NGA 21691.
Sungai Benut
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12.5 m (41 ft) white skeletal tower on a triangular platform supported by piles. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located about 2 km (1.25 mi) off the mouth of the Benut River. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1660; NGA 21696.
Mudah Utara (Mudah Shoal North) (2)
2009 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 30 m (98 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower mounted on a square concrete platform on pilings. A series of shock absorbing structures is built beside the lighthouse as protection against collision with ships. Entire lighthouse is white. Trabas has Smith's 2015 photo and Greenfinder has a photo but the light is not shown in Google's satellite view. The original lighthouse was destroyed sometime in the third quarter of 2008, presumably by collision with a ship, but the light was replaced by late 2009. This light is very similar to the Tompok Utara and Mudah Selatan lights. Located near the northwestern toe of the long Mudah shoal in the center of the westbound shipping lane in the Strait of Malacca. Accessible only by boat. Site open. Admiralty F1655; NGA 21701.

Panjang Selatan Light, Strait of Malacca, August 2020
photo copyright Capt. Theodore Hinrichs; used by permission

Batu Pahat District Lighthouses
Panjang Utara
Date unknown (recent). Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 28 m (92 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower mounted on a square concrete platform on pilings. A series of shock absorbing structures is built beside the lighthouse as protection against collision with ships. Entire lighthouse is white. Greenfinder has a photo but the light is not shown in Google's satellite view. Located about 19 km (12 mi) west of the Mudah Utara light, marking a shoal of the south side of the shipping lanes in the Strait of Malacca. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1654; NGA 21703.
Parit Botak
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green flash every 7 s. 11 m (36 ft) fiberglass post carrying a large triangular daymark and mounted on a triangular platform supported by piles. Google has a satellite view and a distant sea view. Located about 1 km (0.6 mi) off Senggarang. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1657; NGA 21699.
[Kuala Sungai Ayam]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 4 s. 12 m (39 ft) fiberglass post carrying a large square daymark and mounted on a triangular platform supported by piles. Google has a satellite view and a distant sea view. Located about 1 km (0.6 mi) west of the swampy point of Tanjung Laboh. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1653.5; NGA 21703.5.
Pulau Sialu (Sungai Batu Pahat)
1913. Reactivated (inactive 1978-?); focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) masonry tower with gallery, painted white. The lantern has been removed. Kenneth Law's 2025 photo is at right, Mohd Razali Hamid has a 2008 photo, Greenfinder has a photo, Matthew Chia has a 2023 photo, a distant view from the sea is available, and Google has a satellite view. Pulau Sialu is a small, uninhabited island off the Batu Pahat estuary. The historic lighthouse was deactivated in favor of the Bukit Segenting lighthouse in 1978 but it is back on the Malaysian light list. Michael Ong Eng Hui has a photo showing both lighthouses. More information on this station is needed. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. . ARLHS WMA-012; Admiralty F1652; NGA 21708.

Pulau Sialu Light, Batu Pahat, January 2025
Google Maps photo by Kenneth Law
* Bukit Segenting (Segenting Hill)
1978. Active; focal plane 86 m (282 ft); four white flashes every 30 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a small 1-story equipment room. Lighthouse painted white. Greenfinder's photo is at right, Michael Ong Eng Hui has a 2009 photo, Benard Kok has a 2023 drone view, Angelica Wooley has a distant photo, and Google has a satellite view. In 2020 Greenfinder replaced the older optic with an LED lamp. In both photos the lighthouse is dwarfed by a large VTS (maritime traffic control) tower. ILocated on Tanjung Api Api, a promontory overlooking the Strait of Malacca about 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of Batu Pahat. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS WMA-002; Admiralty F1652.5; NGA 21712.

Muar District Lighthouses
Tanjung Tohor
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 5 s. 16 m (52 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower on a platform supported by four piles. Entire lighthouse is white. Greenfinder has a photo and Google has a distant satellite view. Located off Tanjung Tohor, about 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Parit Jawa. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1650; NGA 21716.
Parit Jawa
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red flash every 4 s. 11 m (36 ft) fiberglass post light with gallery mounted on a square concrete pier. The lighthouse is white with a red band around the gallery. Greenfinder has a photo and Google has a distant satellite view. Located a short distance off the coast at Parit Jawa, northwest of Batu Pahat. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1648; NGA 21718.

Tangkak District Lighthouse
Kuala Muar
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal white skeletal tower supported by concrete piles. A distant photo is available and Bing has a satellite view. Muar is a city of about 350,000 residents surrounding the mouth of the Muar River, close to the border between Johor and Melaka. Located on the north side of the mouth of the Muar River. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1646; NGA 21724.

Bukit Segenting Light, Batu Pahat, posted September 2020
Greenfinder.asia photo

Melaka (Malacca) Lighthouses

Malacca was by far the oldest European colony in the Straits area (and it gave its name to the Strait). It was conquered by Portugal in 1511 and then by Dutch forces in 1624. The British took control through the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. From 1867 until World War II Melaka was part of the crown colony of Straits Settlements. Its capital Malacca City has a population approachingt 600,000.

Melaka Tengah (Central Melaka) District Lighthouses
Pulau Undan
1880. Active; focal plane 53 m (174 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 15 m (49 ft) octagonal cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story keeper's house. Light tower painted red, keeper's house white. In a photo the red lighthouse is much shorter than the neighboring maritime communications tower. Greenfinder has the photo seen at right, Stanley Lim has a photo, Trabas has Arndt's very distant 2010 view from the sea, Forand has a historic postcard view, and Bing has an indistinct satellite view of the station. Located atop an island in the Strait of Malacca about 25 km (15 mi) southeast of Melaka (Malacca). Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS WMA-013; Admiralty F1644; NGA 21728.
Umbai (Kuala Umbai)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); green flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) cylindrical tower with gallery, mounted on a concrete platform supported by concrete piles. Entire lighthouse is white. Fa'iz Hafiz has a 2024 photo, Greenfinder has a photo, Ben Sharif has a photo, and Google has a satellite view and a distant sea view. Located about 300 m (330 yd) off the entrance to the small harbor of Umbai, a town about 10 km (6 mi) east of Malacca. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1642; NGA 21730.
Pulau Panjang
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 5.5 m (18 ft); red flash every 5 s. 5.5 m (18 ft) square concrete pillar on a conical concrete base. Entire lighthouse is white. Trabas has Smith's 2020 photo but the light is not shown in Google's satellite view. Located at the west end of a reef about 5 km (3 mi) southeast of the entrance to Melaka harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1640; NGA 21732.
Batu Gelama
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); white flash every 5 s. 4 m (13 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower on a square concrete pier. Trabas has Arndt's 2010 photo, Jason Tiu has a 2020 photo, a 2025 view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a shoal off the Melaka waterfront. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1633; NGA 21734.
* Malacca (St. Paul's Church)
1849. Inactive. Approx. 13 m (43 ft) square masonry tower with lantern and gallery mounted on an arched base. Lighthouse painted white. Jerry Chien's 2024 photo is at the top of this page, Balaji Dutt has a photo, Wikimedia has Rudolph Furtado's photo, Matthew Yau has a good photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Hindia Belanda's 2021 photo showed the tower imuch n need of repainting. but Tote Varisorn's October 2022 photo shows it nicely restored. The lighthouse stands next to the ruins of St. Paul's Church, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century (St. Francis Xavier preached there) and renamed by the Dutch, who ruled Malacca from 1641 through most of the 18th century. Located atop St. Paul's Hill on the south side of the harbor of Melaka, as the city's name is now spelled. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WMA-029.

Pulau Undan Light, Malacca,
Greenfinder.asia photo
Kuala Melaka (Malacca Entrance)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10.5 m (34 ft); red flash every 4 s. 10.5 m (34 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, carrying a square red daymark around the top, on a platform supported by four piles. Trabas has Smith's 2019 photo and Google has a satellite view. Located in the entrance to Melaka harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1637; NGA 21735.
Malacca East Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 5 m (16 ft); gren flash every 4 s. 4 m (13 ft) concrete tower attached to a small service structure. Entire lighthouse is white Trabas has Smith's 2020 photo and Google has a 2025 street view and a satellite view. Despite its name this is not really a breakwater light; it marks the leading corner of a quay. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1636; NGA 21740.
Sungai Baru
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13.5 m (45 ft); red flash every 4 s. 11 m (36 ft) round white tower. Fazlee Abd Rahim has a photo, Smkab Ayer Baloi has a closeup, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a short pier at Sungai Baru, about 30 km (19 mi) northwest of downtown Malacca City. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1627.6; NGA 21746.

Alor Gajah District Lighthouse
*** Tanjung Tuan (Cape Rachado)
1863. Active; focal plane 118 m (387 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 24 m (79 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. 1st order Fresnel lens in use. Original 1-story masonry keeper's house. A modern concrete tower, built in 1990, carries radar to monitor ship traffic in the narrow Strait of Malacca. Anthony Johnson's 2022 photo is at right, Auria Abraham has a closeup photo, Horng Yih Wong has another good photo, Wikimedia has a photo, Greenfinder has a photo, a 2016 photo by Etienne Valois is available, the lighthouse appeared on a commemorative postal sheet, Forand has a historic postcard view, K.P. Lai has a closeup 2019 street view, Intan Sofea Azmi has a 2020 drone view of the station, and Google has a satellite view. This is Malaysia's oldest active lighthouse and probably its most important; it stands at the end of a prominent ridge jutting out into the Strait at the northern end of the narrower part of the waterway. The coast of Sumatra, on the other side of the strait, can be seen from the top of the lighthouse. The forested ridge has long been recognized as one of the country's most important forest and wildlife reserves. The site figures in Malay legends and history; the 15th century warrior Hang Tuah is said to have meditated here and left his footprint in a boulder. According to other local accounts the Portuguese built a lighthouse here in the 1500s and the Dutch built another in 1817; we have no verification of these claims. The British annexed the cape to the Malacca colony before building the lighthouse, with the result that the cape today remains an exclave of Melaka state despite being surrounded by the state of Negeri Sembilan. The exclave is protected as a state forest park with several popular hiking trails. Access to the lighthouse is by walking the access road, a distance about 2 km (1.25 mi); the lighthouse is a very popular attraction and parking is likely to be difficult to find at the entrance. Located on a very prominent cape about 20 km (13 mi) south of Port Dickson. Site open, tower open for climbing by arrangement with the keepers. . ARLHS WMA-003; Admiralty F1626; NGA 21748.

Tanjung Tuan (Cape Rachado) Light, August 2022
Google Maps photo by Anthony Johnson

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: Northwest: Malaya Southwest Coast | South: Singapore | West: Eastern Sumatra

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Posted March 12, 2006. Checked and revised June 22, 2025. Lighthouses: 25. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.