Singapore - Facts
- Important pre-arrival information: Singapore Immigration Authority require an Advance Notice of Arrival which can be done via the appointed agent. AIS is mandatory in Singapore waters. See Formalities for all the details.
- Singapore is an island-state lying at the southern end of the Malay peninsula and linked to the mainland by a long causeway.
- Duty-free shopping is no longer the attraction it was, as prices for electronics are both higher than elsewhere and often not covered by an international warranty.
- For sailors arriving in Singapore after a lengthy cruise, often in undeveloped areas, this clean, well-organized city has its attractions and is a convenient stop for provisioning and essential services.
- There are repair facilities at Raffles Marina and Changi.
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Singapore Check-in / Check-out
We recently needed to check-in to Singapore for some engine repairs. Things have changed since we were last there in 2013.
All vessels need to use an agent now for formalities.
As we looked for a marina that had space for us to actually go to, we were referred to the Agent James Lim, +65-9424-5253, Marvelous Yachting Pte Ltd, and he was very helpful to advise us to save some $$ and check in at the Changi Ferry Terminal Immigration, with the boat at the Changi Sailing Club just a short distance away.
James is a former sailor, been around the world by sail, and understands that we are all on a budget. Very helpful.
The procedure is to contact James, and he will file online for your arrival. You arrive at the Changi Sailing Club, NE corner of Singapore, pick up a mooring as directed by the club, VHF77, and a Bumboat (S$70) will take you to the Ferry Terminal/Immigration. Then you walk 10 minutes back to the Club, or take bus #29 two stops. To check out is the reverse procedure.
James takes care of all the other formalities / vessel declaration / Port clearance / arranges the bumboat / etc.
Mooring rates at the Changi Sailing club were almost half price of most of the other marina’s in Singapore, and there was no QICP fee ($300 each way in/out). While you are on a mooring instead of a dock, the club ferry boat will pick up/drop off all day until 2030. Use of the pool/showers/towels/library/lockers/WiFi/facilities are included. F&B available w/ 15% discount.
Bus 29 will take you to the MRT station about 30 minutes away, where you can go to 3 malls or ride the subway all over Singapore very reasonably.
~~__/) ~~
Steve
S/V Ananda II
Hi All,
Living in Thailand but currently in France, I would like to get to my boat that is in a SG marina and sail to Phuket where she will be moored.
SG ambassy in France tells me to get a letter from port authorities, who tell me to contact the ambassy…
Any idea how and when I can plan a short trip to SG ? I will just need some victualling and then I sail away, on my own.
Thanks ahead for your kind advices.
Tom
With the current uncertainty in the Covid 19 situation , temporary suspension of the onsite CIQP services at Raffles Marina till 1 Oct 2021.
Hi, my name is Fabián Linkowski from Argentina. I have my boat in Langkawi planning to go Singapore for the 1st time in febrauary 2020. Just read about pirates in big boats:
https://time.com/5755266/pirates-singapore/?fbclid=IwAR2ZcqVEceIX4UCCzhqC_rnwwcrKw5262wtUojPR0k5fjsSu4_x-i54ilUs
Any report abourt pleasure sailors?
Thanks in advance.
Singapore is a BUSY port, with much of the South Asian Shipping transit though Singapore.
Alternatives: Batam Island ( a few KM/ Miles South of Singapore, a Resort area) Indonesia Territory.
Boat trip to Singapore is under 30 mins.
Many Singaporeans go to Batam Island for short holidays or weekends, as it has many Massage Parlors and attractions for tourists.
There are Multiple Islands with Marinas and Ferry services in this area.
——————————————————Singapore —————————————–
Marina Bay Sands is one of the highlights of Singapore, Gardens by the Bay is Beautiful by the day and night, as they do Night Tours. Singapore Botanic Gardens is a little far from Singapore, it is close the British Council – worth a look if you like landscaped gardens
Be Aware —– Singapore has some Strict rules, Bubble gum is non existent. Public Drinking is an offence. ———
My family and I recently visited Singapore and we found out that it is required to have agent to do clearances. We were recommended to engage in CRAFT DOCKET LLP. They were very helpful as they assisted us in marina booking as well. Their processing is really efficient and cheap rates.
If you’d like to use their services, do email them at:
admin@craftdocket.com
or contact/whatsapp:
+6588228893
Latest update with regards to the Immigration check in process , as mentioned by Phil Read , Coast Guards will need to come over to inspect the boat . Most of the times , the Officers do come on board and go through the entire vessel ensuring no stowayays, contrabands and so on . At times , this process of waiting for the Coast Guards arrival might take some time (+-30 min to 1 hour). I recommend that every boaters that wish to enter Singapore , have an additional copy of the crew list and the passenger list(if any) to be handed over to the Coast Guards Officers upon request.
Arrival – total copies – 4 pcs
departure – total copies – 3 pcs
for more info , email me at Hans Yacht Services and am happy to assist
Hi Phil Read ,
Thank you very much for the comment .
If you plan to use your boat (for pleasure) in Sg waters you will need too do a local on line test before you can apply for a cruising permit. The questions can be very Singapore specific; eg. Which Port Marine Circular of 2003 can you find information on declaration made by pleasure craft departing Singapore?
For me it involved a lot of googling. And they were not always easy to find. Other questions were rather more easy – general seamanship. If anyone wants a list (not complete but enough to get you through) of questions and answers email me odayhappyours1986@gmail.com. The pass mark seems to be about 70%. Also you can redo the test immediatly and there seems to be no time limit on answers – so have google open.
The link (also not easy to find) is;
https://marinet.mpa.gov.sg/osa/jsp/VY_OSA_MPARegistry.jsp?cmd=NEW
Latest from Sisters Island is that the police will board you for a cursory search, then the immigration boat will come along side for your passports. All vessels.
It is my first time coming into Singapore after the new immigration rules implemented, I found CRAFT DOCKET LLP as my agent. They are very efficient and detailed. I would like to thank them for their great assistance on our immigration clearances to Singapore and also out of Singapore!
Dear Chris,
Thank you for your feedback. I’m very sorry to hear that your experience on the recent trip was not to your satisfaction, we take all feedback seriously and I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to provide this to us so we could resolve the issue for you.
As explained the additional charges presented to you on departure was for the additional services that you had requested we action for you such as Crew Sign On/Off. I believe these cost had been explained to you at the time and to our knowledge, you were in agreement.
However, in light of your feedback, I’m pleased you were happy with the waiver of these fees as a resolution to your complaint we proposed.
In relation to fuel stops we only provide the supplier our clients routing when our clients request for fuel stops to be arranged on the way to their final destination and only upon their request, this is quite common practice however my apologies for any confusion this may have caused you as I believe we have not provided our Bunkering Service to you on your last trips with us.
I’m pleased we managed to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction and for any inconvenience caused by waiving all additional charges.
As a family business now reaching its 160th year in business, please rest assured that we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional customer service to all of our clients along with ensuring their stay in Singapore is a pleasant & memorable one.
Should you require any additional service, assistance or information we, as always, I remain at your complete disposal,
Kind Regards,
David Mahoney,
Agency Operations Manager
Fratelli Cosulich Yacht Solutions
I have had 2 bad experiences with a company called Fratelli Cosulich, which have been complete nightmares and charged me unbelievable amounts, on both occasions the paperwork was wrong, as well as various other things, causing delays for hours at a time, last time l had to go out of Singapore and come in as crew, because they forgot to mention all this to me, they also try to see where your next fuel stop is, calling the people in advance, without your knowledge, and getting a kickback on the fuel.
These people are based at One15 Marina in an office the size of a dog box, avoid going there, l was warned about them previously, but l took 2 stupid chances
Wanted to say thanks to Craft Docket for clearing my boat in and out from Singapore with ease.
They are very efficient and professional in their work as they claim to have plenty of boats that tie down with them. Would really recommend them as their prices are cheap!
Just call for Serene (+65 8822 8893) or email Admin@craftdocket.com if you in need of their service and do help me say Hi to them!
Fantastic job guys!!
Last month, July 2016, we had quite a complicated case of yacht import/ immigration in/out Singapore with crew and passengers. This all happened on short notice, as a prior appointed agent tried to rip us off and we cut ties last minute.
We found:
Manjit Singh
Hans yachts services
http://WWW.HANSYACHTS.COM
+6592478847
Manjit immediately started working our case and came to meet the same evening with a complete proposal at a VERY! fair rate. He also organized a partner of his, who is a specialist in customs matters. Mr John Lim.
The entire case was resolved in just over 48 hours, with all the paperwork done and accompanied by the teams of Manjit & John every step of the way. This included a late night personal visa trip for one of our crew and much more.
We can highly recommend the services of these 2 gentlemen, you won’t be disappointed. Great job guys, our next yacht is coming this September and we are looking forward to meeting you again. Thanks again for helping us out! M.
Manjit is awesome.
There are new immigration rules for entering Singapore as of April 1, 2016, which means you have to use an Agent. We dealt with Hans Yachts and found them to be fantastic, quick and very well informed.
I showed up yesterday at the western immigration anchorage, having sent the arrival notice to the harbour master, but not having enrolled with the new CREW system (with a compulsory agent!).
I was refused and asked to leave their waters.
I was then escorted by a coastguard boat and then a police boat, until 8 PM.
Friendly, but unaware of what is an “innocent passage”. Montego Bay 1982.
The truth is that I committed a second crime, having sailed too close to a naval base (one mile and a half! – with no signs or security boat).
The revised procedure (effective 01 March 2016) requires an agent for enrolling into the CREW system. Doing it yourself is unpractical(as it requires a bond of $5000, etc…).
These facts speak for themselves and I prefer not to try again any entry into this country, fearing more endless unrealistic requirements.
It seems that they don’t make any difference between a visiting sailboat for a one day stop, and a freighter.
Compared to the easiness and cool welcome in Malaysia, the Singapore administration seems a nightmare.
You can no longer clear inwards/outwards at Raffles Marina – You have to clear immigration at the Quarantine Anchorage near Sister Islands.
The Ministry of Tourism Indonesia cordially invites boaters, skippers, captains, and yacht owners to attend an Afternoon Tea gathering to promote new policy on liberalizing CIQP (Customs, Immigration, Quarantine, Port Clearance) and to welcome foreign yachts and cruise ships to visit Indonesia.
Singapore Nov 7th, 14:00 Raffles Marina.
Malaysia Nov 8th, 14:00 Bayview Hotel, Langkawi.
Thailand Nov 9th, 14:00 Ao Chalong Yacht Club, Phuket.
A short presentation will be conducted by Dr Indrojono Soesilo, Honorary Advisor for the Ministry of Tourism Indonesia. Please join.
For engineering services, we can recommend Jeff Jakey of Shellback Marine Services – jeff@shellback.com.sg or +65 9766 1439. He helped us out with an engine problem – quick and very responsive.
You can no longer clear inwards at RSYC – you have to clear immigration at the quarantine anchorage
Immigration
On checking in at the Quarantine Anchorage at least one person, usually, the skipper must be registered as crew and will get a 2-week landing pass stamped in the passport. Others can be registered as passengers and will get a visitor stamp (3 months for the UK).
The landing pass can no longer be extended in person at Marina South Pier. An agent must be engaged to do it. Raffles Marina and Kepple Bay Marina act as agents and can apparently arrange it (presumably at a charge). One15 is not an agent and so if you are there you have to appoint one yourself. It cost us SGD 150 to do so. It is also possible for the “crew” to be signed off enabling him or her to leave Singapore for Malaysia and return as a visitor. Again and the agent is required. This change has apparently been in force for about 3 months.