Lighthouses of Malaysia: Malaya Southwest 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 southwest coast of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca in the states of Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.

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
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.
Navionics Charts
Navigational chart for Malaysia.

Kuala Selangor Light, Kuala Selangor, May 2022
Google Maps photo by pawieification

Negeri Sembilan Lighthouses

Negeri Sembilan ("nine villages") is mostly an inland state; it has a short coast on the Strait of Malacca including the seaport of Port Dickson. Arang is the former Malay name of Port Dickson.

Port Dickson District Lighthouses
Pulau Arang-Arang
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); white flash every 10 s. Decscribed by NGA as a white skeletal tower. No photo available and the light is not shown in Google's satellite view of the listed location. An element of mystery: the Admiralty and NGA list the light as Pulau Arang Southwest Side, but the listed location is on the southeast side of the island, a small, heavily forested island about 800 m (1/2 mi) off the waterfront of Port Dickson. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1622; NGA 21764.
Arang
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); two white flashes every 8 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) round hourglass-shaped tower, mounted on a square concrete platform supported by concrete piles. According to NGA the tower is now painted black with one red horizontal band; it was all white in Greenfinder's closeup photo (seen at right). Google has a satellite view. Located 800 m (1/2 mi) southwest of Pulau Arang, marking the entrance to the harbor of Port Dickson. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1622.5; NGA 21760.
Sepang Outer
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); green flash every 2 s. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white and carrying a green triangular daymark, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. Greenfinder has a photo but the light is not shown in Bing's satellite view. Located about 4 km (2.5 mi) south of the entrance to the Sepang estuary. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1620.5; NGA 21771.
Kuala Sepang Besar (Sepang Inner)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); quick-flashing white light. 19 m (62 ft) skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. Greenfinder has a closeup photo, a 2022 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located just offfshore at a large coal-fired power plant west of Port Dickson and just east of the Selangor border. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty F1620; NGA 21772.
 

Arang Light, Port Dickson
Greenfinder.asia photo
 

Selangor Lighthouses

The state of Selangor includes the central west coast of Malaya and surrounds the federal district of Kuala Lampur, the national capital. With a population of about 6.5 million it is Malaysia's most populous state. Klang (formerly spelled Kelang) is a former capital of Selangor state and the largest port of Malaysia. The city has a population of about 750,000. The port is sheltered behind marshy islands with its principal entrance from the north and a secondary entrance from the south.

Kuala Langat District (Southern Selangor) Lighthouses
Sepat
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); quick-flashing white light. 14 m (46 ft) round tower supported by a robust pile. Upper half of the tower painted black, lower half yellow. Greenfinder has a photo and Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo, but the lighthouse is not shown in Google's satellite view. Located on a shoal on the south side of the shipping lanes in the Strait of Malacca about 16 km (10 mi) southwest of Tanjung Gebang. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1619.4; NGA 21774.
Tanjung Gebang
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); white flash every 4 s. 28 m (98 ft) round concrete tower, mounted on a platform supported by piles. Greenfinder has a photo, Trabas has Smith's photo, and Google has a satellite view and a sea view taken from a kayak. Located a short distance off a headland about 15 km (9 mi) south of Banting. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1619; NGA 21776.
* Bukit Jugra (Jugra Hill)
1976. Active; focal plane 146 m (479 ft); white flash every 10 s. 25 m (82 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. A second concrete tower carries radar to monitor ship traffic. Jeffrey Tan's 2023 photo is at right, Tian Yake has a photo and a closeup, Greenfinder also has a closeup, Joy Hon has a 2021 photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located on a conspicuous hill on the east side of a river at Permatang Pasir. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WMA-001; Admiralty F1614; NGA 21780.
[Kuala Langat (Tanjung Tonkah) (2)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); green flash every 5 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) white post on a triangular platform supported by piles. A photo is available and Bing has a fuzzy satellite view. NGA lists a much smaller light. Located in the entrance to the Langat River. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1614.5; NGA 21782.

Bukit Jugra Light, Permatang Pasir, May 2023
Google Maps photo by Jeffrey Tan
Tanjung Rhu (Tanjung Ru) (2)
2016. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white flash every 5 s. 29 m (95 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower mounted on a square platform supported by piles. Trabas has Smith's photo (also seen at right), Greenfinder has a closeup, and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse, a 24 m (79 ft) round fiberglass tower mounted on a square concrete pier, was demolished or destroyed in 2010. Located in shallows about 1 km (0.6 mi) west of Tanjung (Cape) Rhu, the western tip of Pulau Carey, about 25 km (15 mi) southwest of Klang. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1610; NGA 21804 (ex-21803).

Klang District Lighthouses
Tanjung Mahang Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); quick-flashing white light. 19 m (62 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a platform supported by piles. Lighthouse painted white. The tower also carries a white triangular daymark, point up. Trabas has Arndt's photo, Greenfinder has a photo showing both range lights, and Google has a satellite view. This is the southern entrance range for Klang. Located off the southern tip of Pulau Che Mat Zin, 180 m (200 yd) south of the rear light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1609; NGA 21806.
Tanjung Mahang Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); red light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 25 m (82 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a platform supported by piles. Lighthouse painted white. The tower also carries a white triangular daymark, point down. Trabas has Arndt's photo, Greenfinder has a photo showing both range lights, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the southern tip of Pulau Che Mat Zin, about 40 km (25 mi) southwest of downtown Klang. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1609.1; NGA 21806.1.

Tanjung Rhu Light, Klang, February 2019
photo copyright James Smith; used by permission
#Klang First Point (1)
Date unknown. Replaced. This was a 17 m (56 ft) round hourglass-shaped concrete tower, mounted on a platform supported by four concrete piles. Mohd Nor Azmil Abdul Rahman has a 2008 photo and Google has a satellite view. Smith found in 2015 that this light had been replaced by a buoy. In 2016 a new, smaller light on a post (focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red flash every 4 s) was installed; Trabas has Smith's photo. Located on the west side of the Klang entrance channel about 1200 m (3/4 mi) northeast of the Tanjung Mahang range lights. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1608; NGA 21808.
Tanjung Sarang Lang (2)
2018. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 25 m (82 ft) square skeletal tower mounted on a platform supported by piles. Lighthouse painted white. Trabas has Smith's photo a(also seen at right) nnd Bing has a satellite view. Located on the eastern point of Pulau Klang, opposite the inner harbor of the city. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1594; NGA 21820.
* Marine Department Signal Station
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); flashing red light. Light mounted atop the 5-story Marine Department building in Klang (this is the national headquarters of the department). Rener Tan has a 2021 drone view and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located on the Klang River on the north side of the harbor area. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1597; NGA 21826.
* Tanjung Harapan
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red flash every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) white concrete post carrying a large gallery and mounted on a platform supported by three piles. Gallery painted red as a daymark. Greenfinder has a photo, Trabas has Arndt's closeup photo, Yok Kwee Tan has a 2023 photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located just offshore on the north side of the entrance to the inner harbor of Port Klang. Accessible only by boat but easily seen from shore. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1595; NGA 21834.

Tanjung Sarang Lang Light, Klang, February 2019
photo copyright James Smith; used by permission
Tanjung Tentaram
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) white concrete post carrying a large box-like red daymark and mounted on a platform supported by three piles. Ong Jit Tuck has a photo and Google has a distant satellite view. Located off the southwestern tip of Pulau Ketam, an island west of Pulau Klang. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1612; NGA 21800.

One Fathom Bank Lighthouses
One Fathom Bank is a notorious shoal in the Strait of Malacca off the port of Klang. (One fathom is a depth of only 6 ft or 1.8 m.) Shipping is crowded together in the Strait by the limited amount of deep water available so a traffic separation scheme (TSS) is in place. Vessels headed southeast keep to the Indonesian side and those headed northwest keep to the Malaysian side. A chart is available. The lights in this section are important markers for the TSS.

One Fathom Bank (Permatang Sedepa) (3)
1907 (station established 1852). Inactive since 1999. Approx. 27 m (89 ft) octagonal skeletal cast iron tower with lantern, gallery, and enclosed upper portion, mounted atop a 2-story octagonal keeper's house standing on piles. In fact there are two lanterns, with a newer and smaller one raised above the original first-order lantern by an octagonal skeletal extension. The lighthouse was orginally painted with red and white horizontal bands; today the keeper's house and cast iron skeletal sections and painted white and the upper extension is black. Mohd Ezwan Ghazali's 2017 photo at right shows this lighthouse in the foreground, Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo of the two lighthouses, Wikimedia has a good closeup, Greenfinder has a closeup, Huelse has a historic photo, and the lighthouse was featured on a 2004 postage stamp. This historic lighthouse was restored in 2004-05. The original lighthouse was replaced by a screwpile lighthouse in 1874. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WMA-030.

1907 One Fathom Bank Light, Strait of Malacca, Light, Klang, July 2017
Google Maps photo by Mohd Ezwan Ghazali
One Fathom Bank (Permatang Sedepa) (4)
1999 (station established 1852). Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 43 m (141 ft) round cylindrical steel tower with lantern and triple gallery, rising from the center of a dome-shaped equipment shelter, mounted on a circular platform supported by pilings. Light tower painted with red and white horizontal bands. A 2018 photo is at right, Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo of the two lighthouses, Wikimedia has a photo, Akmar Yaakub has a closeup, and Greenfinder has a more distant view, but the lighthouses are not shown in Google's satellite view. The base of the lighthouse has accommodations visited by sport fishermen. The lighthouse is on the north (Malaysian) side of the northwestbound channel, near the southeast end. Located on the shoal, about 30 km (20 mi) west southwest of the Klang Delta. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS WMA-007; Admiralty F1616; NGA 21784.
One Fathom Bank North
2009. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 3 s. 30 m (98 ft) round fiberglass tower on a platform supported by piles. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo and Greenfinder has a photo, but the lighthouse is not shown in Google's satellite view. This light is on the north side of the northwestbound channel, near the northwest end. Located about 20 km (12.5 mi) northwest of the original One Fathom Bank lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1616.5; NGA 21795.
One Fathom Bank Southbound East Beacon
Date unknown. Inactive since 2019. 13 m (43 ft) beacon, upper half painted yellow and lower half black. No photo available and the light is not shown in Bing's satellite view. The exit from the southbound channel is quite narrow; it is marked by this light and the next two. Located 9.4 km (5.8 mi) southwest of the One Fathom Bank lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ex-Admiralty F1617; NGA 21788.
One Fathom Bank Southbound South Beacon
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); quick-flashing white light 13 m (43 ft) beacon, upper half painted black and lower half yellow. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo but the light is not shown in Bing's satellite view. Located 10.5 km (6.5 mi) southwest of the One Fathom Bank lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1617.2; NGA 21792.
One Fathom Bank Southbound West Beacon
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); quick-flashing white light 11 m (36 ft) beacon, painted yellow. Trabas has Capt. Theo's photo but the light is not shown in Bing's satellite view. Located 13.8 km (8.6 mi) west southwest of the One Fathom Bank lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1617.4; NGA 21794.

1999 One Fathom Bank Light, Strait of Malacca, February 2018
Google Maps photo by Miestoo

Kuala Selangor District (Northern Selangor) Lighthouses
Pulau Angsa
1887. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); flash every 10 s, white or red depending on direction. 11 m (36 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Keeper's house and a modern concrete radar tower that dwarfs the lighthouse. Anjung Teknik's 2020 drone view is at right, the Marine Department has an older photo, Trabas has Arndt's view from the sea, Patrick Costello has a 2011 view from the sea, another distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. This light marks the beginning of the northern approach to Klang. Located atop a small island about 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Port Klang and 25 km (15 mi) south of Kuala Selangor. Accessible only by boat; water taxi service is available from Klang. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS WMA-008; Admiralty F1586; NGA 21848.
Batuan (Batu) Penyu (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower mounted on a square platform supported by piles. Greenfinder has a photo and Karthik Kulkarni has a very distant sea view, but the lighthouse is not shown in Google's satellite view. The Admiralty and NGA list a tower only 6 m (20 ft) tall. Located on a shoal about 4 km (2.5 mi) north of Pulau Angsa. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1584; NGA 21851.
Kuala Sungai Buloh
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 3 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower mounted on a square platform supported by piles. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located about 2 km (1.25 mi) offshore and 10 km (6 mi) south of Kuala Selangor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1585; NGA 21856.
** Kuala Selangor (Altingsburg, Bukit Melawati)
1907. Active; focal plane 73 m (240 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 27 m (89 ft) round two-stage tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. The lower half of the tower is cylindrical masonry, and the upper half is a conical cast iron tower. A 2022 photo appears at the top of the page, Greenfinder has a photo, S.J. Liew has a good closeup, another closeup photo, a 2022 photo, and a 2010 photo are available, Nur Syuhada has a drone view, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The lighthouse stands on the hill known as Bukit Melawati, in the center of a 250 ha (600 acre) nature reserve adjoining the town of Kuala Selangor. Ruins of the Dutch Fort Altingsburg, built in 1784, can be seen near the lighthouse, and the historical museum of Kuala Selangor is adjacent to the light station. The road to the lighthouse is closed on weekends due to limited parking, but trams are provided. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS WMA-005; Admiralty F1578; NGA 21860.

Pulau Angsa Light, Kuala Selangor, October 2020
Facebook photo by Anjung Teknik
Permatang Angsa (Angsa Bank)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); quick-flashing white light. 22 m (72 ft) round tower, upper half painted black, lower half yellow. Greenfinder has a closeup photo and Bing has a satellite view. Located on a shoal off Tanjung Karong, about 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Kuala Selangor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1580; NGA 21861.
Sungai Sekinchan
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green flash every 4 s. 11 m (36 ft) white fiberglass tower on a platform supported by piles. Azraie Ruslim has a very distant drone view and Bing has a satellite view. Located about 1 km (0.6 mi) off the waterfront of Sekinchan, a fishing town in norther Selangor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F1576.1.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Malaya Northwest Coast | Southeast: Malaya South Coast | West: Eastern Sumatra

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Posted March 12, 2006. Checked and revised May 19, 2024. Lighthouses: 27. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.