10 Molucca Sea Facts You Must Know

The Molucca Sea, also known as Laut Maluku in Indonesia, is a part of the western Pacific Ocean. It is surrounded by the islands of Celebs, Halmahera and the Sula Group. This strategic body of water is rich in marine biodiversity, which makes it a popular tourist destination, too.

Let’s explore a few interesting facts about the Molucca Sea in this article.

1. Depth and surface area of the Molucca Sea

The Molucca Sea is a beautiful water body in Southeast Asia. It has a surface area of 77,000 square miles or 200,000 square kilometres. The Sea has a maximum depth of 4810 m.

2. World Famous for its diving sites and coral reefs

The Molucca Sea and the Halmhera region allow diving enthusiasts to embark on some of the most splendid underwater experiences. Cruises also depart to and from Manado to the unexplored and remote islands of Bangka and Sangihe.

Exotic marine flora and fauna, mangroves, seabirds, and volcanoes provide a stunning backdrop, while the underwater view is equally spectacular with colourful fish, corals, and ever-changing landscapes.

A famous diving site is Pulau Pisang, with steep reed slopes covered in Dendrophylia soft corals and hard coral gardens in the shallows. One can see schools of Spanish Tuna, Dogtooth Tuna, Sleek Surgeonfish, and Bannerfish.

Pulau Ternate & Pulau Tidore have volcanic islands home to schools of tunas, black snappers, barracudas, white tips and black tips.

Lembeh and Bunaken are world-famous muck diving destinations. One can spot Grey reef sharks and starry night octopus on night dives in Pulao Para. Slipper lobster, dwarf cuttlefish and all types of nudibranch can be found here.

3. Divided into 3 Zones based on geographical features and Ocean Currents

The Molucca Sea is divided into three zones based on bathymetry and ocean currents. The northern region is the warmest, while the southern part of the sea witnesses the upswelling of cool waters, making it biologically productive due to the presence of nutrients.

The Northern Molucca Sea includes waters north of the Sula Islands. Here, the water depth is less than 200 m, which makes it quite shallow in this part of the Sea. The Indonesian Throughflow current brings warm water from the Pacific Ocean into this region.

The Central Molucca Sea is the part of the Molucca Sea which lies between the Sula and the Banggai-Sula Islands. It has deeper waters, going to a depth of 800 m. Then, there is a transition zone where Indonesian Throughflow mixes with cool waters coming from the south.

The Southern Molucca Sea lies to the south of the Banggai-Sula Islands. This area has the deepest waters, more than 1000 metres deep in some places. This area is influenced by the upwelling of cool and nutrient-rich waters from the south in the Banda Sea.

4. Batjan Basin is the deepest hollow in the Molucca Sea

The 15,780-foot or 4810 m Batjan Basin is the deepest hollow in the Molucca Sea. It is a sedimentary basin formed on oceanic crust. It spans approximately 12,000 km2 and has a maximum depth of 3000 m. It is filled with sediments like clay, sand and silt deposited over millions of years.

The Molucca Sea and the Batjan Basin were formed due to tectonic plate movements involving the Eurasian, Philippine Sea Plate and the Australian Plate. Since the basin is within the collision zone of these plates, it experiences frequent rifting, seafloor spreading and subduction, leading to earthquakes.

The presence of sediments indicates a high potential for the presence of oil and gas reserves in the basin. Although research is ongoing, and exploration wells were drilled, commercially viable discoveries have not been made yet.

5. Rich in fishery resources

One can spot fishing shacks on reefs or islands in the Molucca Sea. These are built by artisanal fishermen who catch fish using outrigger boats, often using traditional techniques like handlines, gillnets and fish traps. These people depend on fishing for their livelihood.

Large Indonesian and foreign ships are engaged in commercial fishing involving trawling and purse seining.

Prominent fisheries include snapper, grouper, shrimp, tuna and lobster, with tuna being one of this region’s most important commercial species.

Fishing in the Molucca Sea, however, is not easy. Apart from overfishing, fishermen face many challenges and dangers emerging from storms, conflicts with bigger trawlers, and lack of support from the authorities. Another threat is global warming.

6. Surrounded by prominent seas like the Banda and Celebes

To the south, the Molucca Sea is bounded by the Banda Sea, and to the west, it is surrounded by the Celebes Sea. To its north lies the Philippine Sea, and towards the east is the Halmahera Sea.

Let’s know a little bit more about these water bodies. Shedding light on the Banda Sea, it is one of the four seas surrounding Indonesia’s Maluku Islands. It is around 1000 kilometres long from east to west and 500 km from north to south. The Banda Sea is a marine ecoregion and part of the Coral Triangle, which supports the most diverse coral reef species in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Celebes Sea is a sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It spans 280,000 km2, is 680 km long, is 840 km wide, and has a depth of 6200 m. It opens to the Java Sea in the southwest via the Makassar Strait. It was a strategic water body, and the Dutch seized parts of it in the 17th century. It was also dominated for centuries by pirates and traders from Borneo and nearby islands. It came under colonial control by the 19th-century end.

The Phillippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, lying eat of the Philippine Archipelago. It is the world’s largest sea, occupying an area of five million square km. It has a complex relief and many geological faults. It is enclosed by Island arcs to the north, east and south. A unique feature of this water body is the deep sea trenches. Among them are the Philippine Trench and the Mariana Trench.

The Halmahera is a regional sea in the central-eastern part of the Australasian Mediterranean Sea. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, Waigeo, West Papua and Seram Sea. It covers approximately 95,000 km, and its topography consists of several underwater formations, including ridges and basins, the principal of which is the Halmahera Basin, which is around 2039 m deep.

7. Major Seaports lie in the Molucca Sea region

Bitung is one of the major seaports in the Molucca Sea. It lies at the northeast tip of Sulawesi province, around 15 nm from Manado. Its main export product is copra, with 216,000 tonnes produced annually. It also handles containers, petroleum products and tuna. Around 7,500 ships, 4,760,000 tonnes of cargo, and 166,000 TEUs are handled at the port annually.

Tubang is another major port situated on the Taliabu Island in North Maluku. It is an anchorage facility mainly dealing with forest products. There is a sawmill and log pond nearby. It can handle vessels up to 30,000 DWT.

Ternate lies southeast of Hiri on Ternate Island in the Molucca Sea in eastern Indonesia. It is a commercial facility used by both local and international ships. Main exports are timber, cloves and copra, while imports comprise rice and petroleum products. Approximately 440,000 tonnes of cargo, 22,000 TEU and 2000 ships are handled annually here.

Ambon is situated on the southern coast of Seram. It is the main harbour of Maluko province. It receives general cargo ships and has an oil terminal at Nipa, on the northwestern shore of Teluk Ambon. Cloves, maca, copra, nutmeg and forest products are exported from here, and the main imports are ironware, cloth, canned food, machinery and petroleum products. Ambon handles around 2500 ships, 626,000 tonnes of cargo and 51,500 TEU annually.

Namlea Port, on the northeast coast of Buru Island, is a roadstead. Owned by Pertamina, it handles the loading and unloading of petroleum products.

8. Site of naval battles between colonial powers

Moluccas, or the Spice Islands, span large areas between Sulawesi, New Guinea and the Philippines. They are islands that Colombus was searching for and were also visited by Chinese, arab and Indian traders before the arrival of the Europeans.

These islands were precious since they yielded spices like mace, nutmeg and cloves, which were highly valued in Europe for cooking, medicinal purposes and preserving food longer.

The British, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch fought with each other to control these islands, which could be accessed through the Molucca Sea. Hence, it was the site of many naval battles. Military and trading outposts were also established on the islands to gain control of the straits and channels of the Molucca Sea since they were used for shipping spices to Europe.

9. An active earthquake zone due to the Molucca Sea Plate

The Molucca Sea is a seismically active zone as the north and south ends of the Molucca Sea Plate are being pushed under the Sunda and Philippine Sea plates, creating pressure and friction, which causes earthquakes followed by tsunamis in some cases.

Since the region around the Molucca Sea lies at the junction of the Philippine Sea Plate and Indo-Australian and Eurasian Plates, earthquakes are frequent along these major plate boundary faults.

Earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 and above are a common occurrence here, evident from historical records. The most recent earthquake of this magnitude shook the region on 6th January 2019. However, it did not cause a tsunami.

10. Has a tropical climate, making it a favourable tourist destination

The Molucca Sea and its islands have a tropical climate with high temperatures and humidity. These islands are perfect for sunbathing and enjoying a peaceful holiday, making it a preferred destination for many. The wet season is from November to March, and the Dry Season is from April to October; during these seasons, the weather is pleasant and neither too hot nor too cold.

Since the area is prone to cyclones and typhoons, which bring heavy rainfall and powerful winds, it is advised not to visit the islands and the sea during peak monsoon season.

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About Author

Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid writer, possessing immaculate research and editing skills. Author of several academic papers, she has also worked as a freelance writer, producing many technical, creative and marketing pieces. A true aesthete at heart, she loves books a little more than anything else.

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