SD, is there any way they can keep Sugar Wreck there but instead put a marker so that the merchant vessels can navigate AROUND the wreck? Like you know, just go a little bit to the left or right...
Its quite a small wreck...doesnt span a huge area at all...
Because what if it wasn't a wreck but a huge boulder coral reef instead... would they blast that away too if it presents a risk to the vessels?
Well, the right question would be:
WOULD ALL THE DIVE CENTERS ON THE PERHENTIANS TEAM UP TO FOR AN ACTION COMMITTEE AND PETITION TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT TO PRESERVE THE WRECK AS AND WHERE IT IS?If we as divers alone start sending petitions but the dive centers keep quiet, what's the point?
Reefs and boulders are part of natural hazards and would have been charted for almost two centuries at least. The Sea Belle rock was charted by the British round about the same time HMS Magicienne charted the Magicienne Rock off Tioman...more than one century ago. And as it is a permanent natural feature, and because of the lack of depth there, a navigational beacon was put up to warn vessels of its presence and danger to navigation. The route would have been determined a long time ago and the vessels would be sailing farther away. The MV Union Star sank only in recent times, and is actually within coastal merchant vessels route. I will continue this after Kim Seng's posting...
there is a marker built in close proximity to the wreck. and many boats use the marker for navigational purpose as well as to avoid the wreck (not that any of the boats i drive can hit it) ... i do use the marker when the weather is not good and i can't aim for the mainland 
but what puzzling is that usually ships which need more than 5m of depth to pass will have some sort of much much more advanced version of the fish finder. i remember boarding a fishing boat which has the equipment that can scan the seabed 1nm ahead...
so i have to wonder what is actually the purpose of removing this wreck?
Because what if it wasn't a wreck but a huge boulder coral reef instead... would they blast that away too if it presents a risk to the vessels?
sea belle rock???? hahahahaha..... the built a lighthouse there afterall.
I have seen many times, coastal merchant vessels ply the waters between the mainland and Pulau Perhentian Kecil, some are sisters to the MV Union Star. At most, the top part of the wreck is at 6 meters.
The law says that the owners of the wreck must salvage and/or dispose of the wreck. The government will provide navigational aids (beacons, lights) to warn mariners of the presence of the wreck UNTIL the wreck is salvaged. if the owners do not salvage, then the government will lay claim of rights on the wreck and will have the absolute right to remove it. This is in accordance with the convention adopted in Nairobi in 2007 by the International Maritime Organization's Convention on Removal of Wrecks.
Kim Seng says what kind of vessel with a draught of more than 5 meters would ply that area? Please be informed that there are vessels that ply there during the monsoon to avoid being hit by winds amidships (to avoid crabbing) that has draught deeper than 5 meters. The company I work for has a barge that has a draught of more than 6 meters. Imagine during low tide when the depth has been reduced, and this barge is being towed by a tug that is not even DP-1 fitted, let alone having sonar. They will need all the room available to maneuver in heavy seas, and hitting a wreck is a big possibility. Not all large vessels have sonar on board. Some are more than 20 years old and retrofitting a vessel is not cheap either. And if you remember in 2005, a US nuclear submarine hit a 'wall' in the Indian Ocean that was created on Boxing Day 2004. That is one vessel that has state-of-the-art forweard-looking sounder. Passing in between the mainland and the Perhentians would also make it faster for towing assistance to reach them in case of engine failure.
Ships cannot brake. And braking a ship to avoid collision is not an easy task....especially ones with single screws like the MV Union Star a.k.a Sugar Wreck.
It is still possible for ALL dive shops to send a petition to the state government on this matter, and the divers petition can follow. But the alternative for coastal plying vessels would be to sail on the outer side of the Perhentians, and risk being blown probably into Terumbu Tiga and spill oil.
