Skip to main content

Feasibility study of proposed US$4.52bn Sumatra-Malaysia undersea tunnel

A 17.5km undersea tunnel may be built to link Karimum Island in Sumatra's Riau and Kukup in Johor's Pontian (Malaysia). A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been sealed by Pelalawan Regency of Indonesia's Riau Province and University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to study the tunnel’s feasibility. The Johor-Riau undersea tunnel link is expected to cost US$4.52 billion (MYR 15 billion). The build figure would be cheaper than an earlier proposal to construct the Dumai (Indonesia)-Malacca (Malaysia) bridge w
January 22, 2014 Read time: 1 min
A 17.5km undersea tunnel may be built to link Karimum Island in Sumatra's Riau and Kukup in Johor's Pontian (Malaysia).  

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been sealed by Pelalawan Regency of Indonesia's Riau Province and University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to study the tunnel’s feasibility.

The Johor-Riau undersea tunnel link is expected to cost US$4.52 billion (MYR 15 billion). The build figure would be cheaper than an earlier proposal to construct the Dumai (Indonesia)-Malacca (Malaysia) bridge worth around $13.306 billion (MYR 44.3 billion), Dean of UTM's Construction Research Alliance Professor Doctor Muhd Zaimi Abd Majid said.

Several bridges will also be constructed as part of the Johor-Riau Link project to link the undersea tunnel with islands off the Riau waters.

On top of that, the project's undersea construction would not affect the flow of commercial ships on the Straits of Malacca, added Professor Doctor Abd Majid.

Related Content

  • Chinese mega tunnel project planned
    October 20, 2017
    Plans are being drawn up in China for a new mega tunnel project in Guangdong Province. Details of the project, to connect Shenzhen and Zhongshan, have been released by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua. The 6.8km undersea stretch of tunnel will carry eight lanes, making it the world’s widest undersea road tunnel.
  • US$548 billion for road maintenance
    January 22, 2025
    Up to US$548 billion will be used for road maintenance worldwide.
  • Indonesia road funding found for two highways
    June 27, 2016
    Financing looks to have been secured for major tolled highway projects in Indonesia. These highways are the 129km Pekan Baru-Dumai route, which forms part of the Trans-Sumatra highway, the 60.5km Cileunyi-Sumedang-Dawuan (Cisumwadu) road and the 39km Manado-Bitung route. A loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) worth some US$370.2 million is expected to provide around half of the financing required for the Pekan Baru-Dumai route. Meanwhile loans worth a total of $300.2 million from the Ex
  • Investment in Indonesia
    May 22, 2012
    The authorities in Indonesia are planning six toll road projects to link with capital Jakarta. These have a total value of US$4.52 billion and include the 18km Semanan-Sunter toll road, a 10km road linking Kampung Melayu and Kemayoran, the 9.6km Pasar Minggu-Casablanca road and the Ulujami-Tanah Abang road. Prequalification for tendering will commence once full approval has been given for the projects to become part of Jakarta’s 2011-2030 infrastructure programme. Also in Indonesia, Jasa Marga is investing