Banana Island Lighthouse
The Banana Island Lighthouse (Malay: Rumah Api Pulau Pisang) is a lighthouse located on the highest point of Banana, an island in the Strait of Malacca 15 kilometres from Pontian Kechil, Johor, Malaysia.[2]
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| Location | Banana Island, Johor, Malaysia |
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| Coordinates | 1°28′10″N 103°15′21″E |
| Year first constructed | 1914 |
| Construction | cast iron tower |
| Tower shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings / pattern | white tower and lantern |
| Tower height | 16 metres (52 ft)[1] |
| Focal height | 150 metres (490 ft) (focal plane)[1] |
| Original lens | 1st order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | 4th order Fresnel lens |
| Characteristic | Fl W 10s.[1] |
| Admiralty number | F1668[1] |
| NGA number | 21692[1] |
| ARLHS number | WMA-010[1] |
Built in 1914, the lighthouse was constructed as a white 16 metre (52 feet) high[1] circular cast iron tower with one support structure and a single storey keeper's house at the base,[1] remaining functional as an aid for maritime navigation into the western entrance of the Singapore Strait, as of 2008.[2] Due to its isolated location, the lighthouse is only reachable via boat and an access road.[1]
While located within the borders of Malaysia, the lighthouse is operated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the result of an agreement signed in 1900 whereby Sultan Ibrahim of Johor granted the British government of Singapore (part of the Straits Settlements), rights in perpetuity to the plot of land on which the lighthouse stands and to the roadway leading to it, so long as the Straits Settlements operated the lighthouse.[2] The lighthouse's status has thus been contentious in recent years due to access of Singaporean workers to the lighthouse.[2]
References
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Malaya (West Malaysia)". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
- "Pulau Pisang Lighthouse". Lighthouse Depot. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
