Redang & Perhentian Islands · Malaysia · Wreck · Artificial reef
Maritime Wreck
A 32 m patrol vessel scuttled as a reef, top at 16 m
Area photo: Ditch Townsend · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Maritime Wreck off Perhentian Besar is KM Ligitan, a decommissioned maritime patrol vessel 32 m long that was sunk as an artificial reef. The top of the wreck is at 16 m and it sits on a 21 to 23 m bottom, and it now holds schools of fish sheltering in the structure.
Also known as KM Ligitan.
Where it is and how deep
5.8867° N, 102.7537° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck is small enough to see properly in one dive: 32 m of decommissioned patrol vessel, with the top of the structure at 16 m and the seabed at 21 to 23 m. Descend onto the shallowest part first and swim the length of the hull, then drop to the bottom for the deeper pass. The depth range is narrow, so both levels fit inside a normal recreational profile without much juggling.
It was put down deliberately as an artificial reef, and that is what it has become: the structure is full of schooling fish using it for shelter, and they are why most divers come rather than the vessel's own history. Keep off the metal and give the openings room. The ship was only decommissioned in November 2014, so the growth on it is young by wreck standards, and no visibility or current figures are published for the site.
The wreck
- Vessel
- KM Ligitan (3145)
- Type
- Kris-class patrol craft
- Length
- 32 m (105 ft)
- Built
- 1967
- Cause
- Decommissioned and sunk deliberately as an artificial reef
- Lies
- On a 21 to 23 m bottom, with the top of the structure at 16 m
The hull began as KD Lembing, a Kris-class patrol craft built by Vosper and launched in 1967 for the Royal Malaysian Navy. It was transferred to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency on 27 June 2006 and renamed KM Ligitan, pennant 3145, then decommissioned on 11 November 2014 and sunk off the Perhentian Islands to serve as an artificial reef. No published source gives the date it was put down, so the wreck is dated by the decommissioning rather than by the sinking.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Redang & Perhentian Islands: The marine park is officially closed November 1-February 28 for the northeast monsoon; conditions are calmest and clearest April-September.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Maritime Wreck?+
The top of the wreck is at 16 m and it sits on a bottom of 21 to 23 m, so the whole structure is inside recreational depths.
What ship is the Maritime Wreck?+
KM Ligitan, pennant 3145, a 32 m Kris-class patrol craft launched in 1967 as KD Lembing. It was decommissioned in November 2014 and sunk off Perhentian Besar as an artificial reef.
Sources
- Maritime Wreck - Scubago — Scubago (SSI)
- Kris-class patrol craft — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
- Ships sunk on purpose, and where to dive themWrecks · 14 min read
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