SABAH  >  Tawau Division  >  Semporna Town

Welcome to
Semporna
...gateway to island dreams in Sabah...

Places of Interest in
Semporna

Seaweed Cultivation
 

Semporna is among the top producers of high quality seaweed

Rumpai Laut - Seaweed 
(Eucheuma - Kappaphycus alvarezii)
Seaweed culture in Semporna started in the late 1970s. A priority of the Department of Fisheries Sabah as a supplementary income-generating activity among the fishing communities in Semporna.
In 1980 a demonstration farm was set up on Sebangkat reef top.
Today many fishermen have involved in seaweed farming of Euchema cottonii because it provides a higher income to fishing. Culture plots are found mostly on the extensive ‘reef top platform’ to the north of Sebangkat and Selakan.
In SIDP, Seaweed Farming is an alternative livelihood for the fisherman in Semporna. Fishing communities now can earn extra income by growing seaweed for sale to processing plants in Sabah.
Carrageenan extracted from the seaweed is used as a stabilizer in food and cosmetics.
Department of Fisheries provided manual on seaweed farming. This manual, in Bahasa Malaysia and Bajau, made easy the farming method by illustration in cartoon drawings and step by step instructions.
Under the 9th Malaysia Plan (9MP), Sabah is to produce 250,000 metric tones of seaweed by the year 2010.

This means Sabah must quickly muster the capacity to increase production since its current output only about 50,000 metric tones per year

Financial support to augment production is not likely to be an issue since the Federal Government has "identified" seaweed farming as a 'high impact project', where it is going to get high priority treatment and emphasis

Sabah has only two seaweed processing mills for 'semi refined caragenaan' (SRC):
1) Semporna seaweed processing mill
2) Lahad Datu-based seaweed processing mill
Both mill process 'semi refined caragenaan' (SRC) for export to Japan, UK, USA, China and Korea
Sabah is looking for application of "fine technology" for the production of high-quality seaweed seedlings which feature high gel strength, faster growth rate and resistant to disease. This is the key strategy is to improve farm technology.
For seaweed production Sabah can be found in following areas:
1) West coast of Kota Kinabalu and Labuan Island;
2) Kota Kinabalu northward South China Sea islands;
3) Balabac Straits;
4) Murudu Peninsula including Darvel Bay;
5) Semporna Peninsula;
6) Reefs and islands in the Semporna area.
 

Upcoming event CANCELLED in Semporna:

Regatta Lepa 2020
17 April 2020 - 19 April 2020
Friday to Sunday

NOTICE : THIS EVENT WAS CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19

Venue
Regatta Lepa Square, Semporna

Organiser
Semporna District Office

Phone
+6088 212 121
 

Houses in Semporna

Semporna Octopus Holiday Tour
仙本那八公魚旅遊
 

SMP Tour & Travel Sdn. Bhd.
許氏仙本那潛水中心
 

Borneo Jungle River Island Tours
 

Semporna Seamonkey Adventure
仙本那海猴王

Blue Ocean Dive Centre
藍海潛水中心

Divers Armada Borneo
漫潛

Pejabat Daerah Semporna

Bangunan Urusetia Daerah, Peti Surat 1, 91307 Semporna, Sabah, MALAYSIA
Tel: +6089 781 518/663
Fax: +6089 781 472
Email: pd.semporna@gmail.com

Semporna is a well known gateway to beautiful islands such as Mabul, Sipadan, Kapalai, Mataking, and Pom Pom.

Semporna town was founded soon after the establishment of Sandakan town by British North Borneo Company, which the name means place of rest or place to settle.

The town is mainly populated by Bajau ethnic community, also known as the Sea Gypsies. Most of them live in sprawling stilt villages over the sea water on the outskirt of the town, or live inside their traditional Lepa boats.

Traditional Boat

Boat is an important mode of transportation in Semporna

There are 600 Tourist Boats in Semporna.

 
Tourist Boat

RESTAURANTS IN SEMPORNA

Seafood Restaurants

Coconut Grove Seafood Restaurant 椰林海鮮餐廳

仙本那海中寶
Ocean Treasure Live Seafood Restaurant

馬布咖啡廳海鮮酒家
Mabul Café & Seafood Restaurant

SEMPORNA OCEAN TOURISM CENTRE

SEMPORNA PROBOSCIS RIVER CRUISE

Semporna Proboscis River Cruise is a  relaxing, eye-opening tour through the mangroves down Buaya River to catch glimpses of proboscis monkeys and other wildlife such as fruit bats, hornbill birds, and the crocodiles from which the river got its name.

Semporna Tourism Action Council

Photo above : Dr Bert Hoeksema holding a rare species of mushroom coral (Halomitra clavator) encountered at various sites in the Semporna Priority Conservation Area.

Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition
The Semporna Marine Ecological Expedition concluded on 18 December 2010. The preliminary results indicate that Semporna may have the world’s highest marine biodiversity. Eighteen scientists from Malaysia, the Netherlands and the USA spent three weeks examining the reefs of Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. The biodiversity team documented the species richness for mushroom corals, reef fish, shrimps, gall crabs, ovulid snails, and algae. The reef status team documented the health of the coral reefs.

About WWF-Malaysia
Semporna Expedition Yields Rich Biodiversity
http://www.wwf.org.my

PVC pollution in Semporna is serious

Jeti Umum
New Public Jetty

Majlis Daerah Semporna
Semporna District Council
Tel: 089 785350 Fax: 089 785484

Sejarah Bangunan
Pejabat Daerah Semporna

The original Semporna District Office built in the 1930s is now restored as a heritage building by Jabatan Warisan Negara.

MARKAS OPERASI
PASUKAN GERAKAN MARIN
POLIS DIRAJA MALAYSIA
SEMPORNA SABH
Polis Diraja Malaysia
(Royal Malaysian Police Force)

DEWAN MASYARAKAT SEMPORNA
Semporna community hall

TOKONG SAM SHEN

Simple and friendly young people


The local population is made up of a great mix of local Bajau, Chinese, Philippino, Indonesian and few other mixes speaking a variety of dialects and languages. These are some of the friendliest people as they don’t often get to meet to many foreigners.
Semporna population is around 133,000 in 2006. Majority is Bajau live in sprawling stilt villages over the sea water on the outskirts of town.
Marine products are still the mainstay of the local economy. Pearl culturing is a major component of this industry.

Mini Bas Terminal of Semporna

Semporna Town does not have a proper bus terminal building. Both the Express Bus and Mini Van terminal at the road side station with a simple shade covering.

This mini bus(vans) terminal is only for public buses. Tourist Vans of tour agents do not park but wait at their respective office locations.

Some of the 600 Tourist Vans in Semporna
 

Tourist van of AQUA SAPIEN海人潜店 in Semporna

Tourist van of Pom Pom Island Resort 邦邦島龍珠度假村


 

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SEMPORNA