Victoria STS (Labuan) has agreed to undertake the adoption of coral reefs around Labuan Marine Park.
Its CEO, Benjamin Bernard Bijion said Victoria STS would be working closely with the Labuan Fisheries Department to protect and preserve this ‘rainforest of the sea’ which is the living ecosystem that provides life and habitats for various plants and marine life species.
Victoria STS is a Labuan-based licensed maritime-related company to conduct ship-to-ship (STS) operations of oil and liquefied gas products within the Victoria Port Limit, which is next to Kuraman Island, one of the protected islands in the marine park.
We have had a discussion through our briefing today with the Labuan fisheries director and his team on the initiative, and we are glad to be able to do our part of giving back to the community through the conservation of Labuan Marine Park.
“When reefs are destroyed it has an enormous impact on both marine and human lives…many coastal communities rely on coral reefs for food and livelihood, coral reefs also bring in revenue to the local community…healthy coral reefs support businesses in the fishery and tourism industries,” he told Bernama today.
Benjamin said efforts are in the pipeline to increase the number of locally certified divers to be part of the adoption programme.
Victoria STS will also be working with local communities to promote sustainable fishing practices and raise awareness about the importance of these habitats,” he said.
Benjamin said coral reefs could be declining primarily because of overfishing and destructive fishing techniques.
“Coastal developments and pollution can easily destroy coral reef systems that take hundreds of years for regrowth, and that is why we need enough certified divers to assist us in this programme.
Coral adoptions mean you are supporting relevant government agency that works toward the protection of coral reefs…this government agency has made it their mission to protect corals through various research, education, and conservation programmes, and we will support,” he said.
The Labuan Marine Park is formed by three islands affectionately known of Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Rusukan Besar, and Pulau Rusukan Kecil.
