Lighthouses of Indonesia: Buru

The Republic of Indonesia has been independent since 1945 after having been the Dutch East Indies for more than 350 years. It is a huge country, stretching along both sides of the Equator for more than 46 degrees of longitude (roughly 5100 km or 3200 miles). Comprised of some 17,000 islands (more than 6000 inhabited islands), it has hundreds of major aids to navigation.

Indonesia is divided into 38 provinces (provinsi) and the provinces are subdivided into county units called regencies (kabupaten). Maluku Province and North Maluku Province include the islands traditionally known in the West as the Moluccas or the "Spice Islands." The Moluccas lie east of Sulawesi (Celebes), south of the Philippines, and west of New Guinea. The Portuguese established a settlement in the islands at Ambon in 1526. They were replaced in 1609 by the Dutch, who established a second colonial settlement at Ternate. Today Ambon is the capital of Maluku province and Ternate was until recently the capital of North Maluku province.

This page includes lighthouses of Buru in Maluku Province. Buru is a large, roughly elliptical island to the west of Seram, from which it is separated by the Manipa Strait. The mountainous island is about 130 km (80 mi) long and 90 km (55 mi) wide. It has a population of about 215,000. The Seram Sea is on the north side of the island and the Banda Sea is on the south and west.

More than 700 languages are spoken in Indonesia. The official national language, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), was standardized from a form of Malay that served as a lingua franca across the archipelago. In Indonesian a lighthouse is a mercusuar or a menara suar. Tanjung is a cape, ujung is a headland or point of land, bukit is a hill, sungai is a river, kuala or muara is an estuary or river mouth, pulau is an island, karang is a reef, batu is a rock, laut is a sea, selat is a strait, teluk is a bay, pelabuhan is a harbor, and labuhan is a port. It's also worth knowing that the word for an island is nusa in Balinese and gili in the Sasak language spoken on Lombok and in western Sumbawa.

Aids to navigation in Indonesia are operated and maintained by the Directorate of Marine Navigation within the Directorate General of Sea Transportation

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volumes F and Q of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Indonesia - Maluku
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
World of Lighthouses - Indonesia
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Google Maps
Satellite view of Buru.

Namlea Pierhead Light, Namlea, Buru, August 2022
Google Maps photo by ILHAM
Buru Regency Lighthouses
* Teluk Bara (Bara Bay) (2)
2017. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 3 s. 20 m (66 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. MNasrul Latulanit has a 2024 photo, Dede Sulaeman has a 2021 photo, a distant 2022 view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at a newer port about 400 m (1/4 mi) south of the original port. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1597.3.
* Teluk Bara (Bara Bay) (1)
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 13 m (46 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. Iwan Makhwan Hambali has a 2019 photo and Google has a satellite view. Since there is now a new port (previous entry), it's not clear if this light remains active. Located at a deepwater port at Bara Bay on the northwest coast of Buru. Site open, tower closed.
Tanjung Karbau (Kerbau) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square white skeletal tower with gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. NGA lists a smaller tower. Located on a promontory about 3 km (2 mi) east of Namlea, a port at the northeastern corner of Buru and capital of Buru Regency. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1599; NGA 25750.
* Namlea (Old Port) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) short square skeletal tower atop the square tower of the port authority building. Afriansyah Eping has a 2025 photo, a more distant 2022 photo is available, the light hides behind an emblem in a closeup photo of the building, Rina Mardiana has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. In 2007 the main Namlea light was moved to the Pierhead Light (see below). The Admiralty initally gave the Pierhead light the Q1594 number but subsequently moved the number back to this light at the old port. Located on the quay of the original port in downtown Namlea. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1594.
* Namlea-Ambon Ferry Terminal
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained?); focal plane about 16 m (52 ft); flashing white light, period unknown. Approx. 13 m (43 ft) round barbell-shaped white fiberglass tower. Iwan Makhwan Hambali has a closeup photo, Erick Surya Dinata has a 2021 photo, and Google has the 2022 street view at right and a satellite view. Located on the Namlea ferry quay. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1594.6.
Namlea Pierhead
2007. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. A 2022 photo is at the top of this page, Alfaris Musafir has a 2019 photo, Safirotul Huda has a 2013 photo, a more distant view is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. NGA formerly listed a small post light at Namlea; the old light (ex-Admiralty Q1594) was at an older port and may still exist. NGA's application of Q1594 to the new light is incorrect (see Old Port entry above). Located on the waterfront at Namlea, a port at the northeastern corner of Buru. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1594.5; NGA 25748.
Namlea Approach West
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); red flash every 5 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) square red skeletal tower on a square platform supported by piles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a shoal about 1.5 km (1 mi) southwest of the Namlea Pier. Site open, tower closed. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed.Admiralty Q1594.15.

Namlea-Ambon Ferry Terminal Light, Namlea, Buru, October 2022
Google Maps street view
Namlea Entrance
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) white tower on a round pier. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a shoal about 1.5 km (1 mi) south of the Namlea Pier. Site open, tower closed. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed.Admiralty Q1594.7.

Southern Buru Regency Lighthouses
* Ulima (Pulau Ambelau)
2015(?). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 3 s. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower painted white. Dwikita Ichsana's 2023 photo is at right, Asis Belasa has a 2018 photo, Johannes Hukygah has a 2016 photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on the quay at Ulima, a small port on the north coast of Pulau Ambelau, an island off the southeastern coast of Buru. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1599.3.
Ambelau East
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); red flash every 10 s. 12.5 m (41 ft) red tower on a square platform supported by piles. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located just off reefs about 1.5 m (1 mi) northeast of Ulima. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1599.28.
Tanjung Bartutui
2003. Active; focal plane 116 m (381 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 40 m (131 ft) tapered square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted atop a 1-story building. Several 1-story coast guard buildings. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light marks the southern entrance to the Manipa Strait, the passage between Buru and Seram. Located on the southern tip of Pulau Ambelau. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1599.5; NGA 25751.
Namrole East
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13.5 m (44 ft); green flash every 5 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square green skeletal tower on a platform supported by piles. No photo available and the light appears as a smudge in Bing's satellite view. Located just off the west point of Pulau Klasi, a small island about 500 km (1/3 mi) south of Namrole. Site open, tower closed. Accessible only by boat. Admiralty Q1595.1.
* Namrole
2015(?). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 3 s. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower painted white. Budi Power Ono has a 2020 photo, Erwin Bahar has a closeup, Ongki Makatita has a 2017 aerial photo and Bing has a satellite view of the port. Located on the quay at Namrole, a small port on the central south coast of Buru. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1595.

Ulima Light, Ambalau, Buru, July 2023
Google Maps photo by Dwikita Ichsana
Namrole West
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13.5 m (44 ft); red flash every 5 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square red skeletal tower on a platform supported by piles. No photo available and the light appears as a smudge in Bing's satellite view. Located at the edge of a shoal about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) southwest of Namrole. Site open, tower closed. Accessible only by boat. Admiralty Q1595.2.
#Leksula (1)
Date unknown. Inactive. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round barbell-shaped white tower. The tower is seen in the left background of a 2017 photo and in a distant 2011 view, but it is missing from Google's more recent satellite view. Formerly located next to the passenger terminal at Leksula, a small port on the southwest coast of Buru. Site open, tower closed.
* Leksula (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower painted white. Muh Yusuf's 2022 photo is at right, Doni Hamdani has a 2021 photo, a 2017 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the quay at Leksula. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty Q1596; NGA 25744.
Tanjung Fogi (Pulau Fogi)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 153 m (502 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 40 m (131 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. The Navigation District has a closeup photo and Google has a satellite view of the station. The Admiralty lists the light as Pulau Fogi. Located on a peninsula (not an island) at the western tip of Buru. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty Q1597; NGA 25746.
* Pelabuhan Fogi
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); light characteristic unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square white skeletal tower. K'ha Anwar has a 2024 view from the harbor and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located at a small port on the northwest coast of Buru. Not listed by the Admiralty.

Leksula Light, Leksula, Buru, November 2022
Google Maps photo by Muh Yusuf

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Western North Maluku | East: Seram and Ambon

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Posted December 31, 2008. Checked and revised Februay 26, 2026. Lighthouses: 18. Site copyright 2026 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.