Search the Community

"Before you venture overseas, why not tour your own backyard first?" This line, from a gregarious guide, resonated with me prior to the start of the Raffles Lighthouse tour, which is organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Now, everyone knows that Singapore is a maritime trade powerhouse, but few realise that apart from the Tanjong Pagar and Tuas ports, our coastline is also dotted with docks and jetties. And as the second-busiest port in the world (Shanghai is the busiest), Singapore is home to several lighthouses, too. Five of them, including Raffles Lighthouse, are operated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). You'll travel by ferry from Marina South Pier to reach the Southern Islands Getting there First things first: Raffles Lighthouse is not the lighthouse you'll find in Raffles Marina. Raffles Lighthouse is the second oldest of the five lighthouses operated by MPA. It is located on Pulau Satumu, an island about 23km away from the mainland. It is the southernmost point of Singapore. To get here, one must join an MPA tour which costs around S$50 per person. The five-hour tour includes a guided visit to the Maritime Gallery, plus ferry passage to and from Pulau Satumu. Lighthouses operated by MPA, as seen on this map in the Maritime Gallery Prior to the tour, I mistakenly assumed that the entire trip took five hours because there was plenty to see and do at the lighthouse, and perhaps lunch would be catered as well. However, most of the time was spent travelling from Marina South Pier to Pulau Satumu and back. Three hours, to be exact, as it is a 1.5-hour ride each way. While the ferry chugged along, our guide enthusiastically pointed out the different types of ships (LNG, LPG, bulk carrier, etc.) we passed. Of greater interest were the outlying islands or Southern Islands. It didn't take long to see St John's Island, Kusu Island, and Lazarus Island. The Singapore skyline looks cool from this angle, too. The building in the foreground is Marina Bay Cruise Centre. In the distance, we saw Pasir Panjang Port, Brani Island, Jurong Island, and Pulau Bukom, home to the Shell Refinery. This part was the eye-opener for me. We all know that Singapore has other islands, but how many do you think we have in all? 10? 20? 30? Nope. My jaw dropped when our guide said we have 64 islands! Singapore is small relative to the rest of the world, but man, the geography lesson that afternoon was an eye-opener. Seeing the outlying islands and massive vessels anchored offshore was truly an experience. Here we are, a little red dot on the world map, yet all these vessels are on the way to one of our ports. Even if you regularly fly, the many ships dotting the sea is something you might not really notice, especially if you typically fly at night. You'll only have 40-45 minutes on Pulau Satumu, so take in the views while you can One-tree island 'Satumu' means 'one tree' in Malay. As the ferry approached the dock, the lighthouse seemed to shine in the sunlight. Completed in 1855, Raffles Lighthouse was designed by John Bennett, who also built Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca. Next to the lighthouse are two network antennas. Photographing these structures is forbidden due to 'security issues' and attempting to feature them on social media could land you in trouble. At the very least, you might find parts of your pictures censored by the powers that be. At least that's what we were told. The waters surrounding the island are surprisingly clear Now, the lighthouse itself is not very large and unfortunately, you're no longer allowed to climb to the top. We were, however, ushered into an air-conditioned room and shown a collection of artifacts and memorabilia to add to the nostalgic feel. Interestingly, one of the 'museum pieces' was an unused armoury locker. Lightkeepers in the past must have needed rifles to defend themselves against marauding pirates in search of booty (or booze?). Each lightkeeper works on Pulau Satumu for 10 days before returning to mainland Singapore. If you despise crowds and love solitude, a career as a lightkeeper might appeal to you. It's too bad we couldn't interview the lightkeepers. But from what I could see, the cleaner air and gentle sounds of the waves lapping the shore make for idyllic surroundings. And even if you're far from civilisation, civilisation isn't far from you. I had 5G coverage the entire time, so you'll always be connected. I was glad that there was no souvenir shop, as it would have made the experience touristy (and not in a good way). But MPA obviously considered visitors' needs, as there were at least three toilets. Hoarding is good (sometimes) because we get to see stuff like this 4th Order Optic from 1968 Explore more I may have spent more time on the ferry than I did at Raffles Lighthouse, but that's not a bad thing. If I were on a faster vessel with a shorter travel time, I wouldn't have been able to hear the guide's stories. Knowing that Singapore is the second-busiest port in the world is one thing; seeing the vessel traffic is another. And learning a bit about our other islands was another pleasant surprise. Most of us don't know or don't care to know about the ports and maritime issues because they happen beyond our sight. But if there's one thing I learned, it's that without our maritime trade, commerce and life as we know it would slow to a crawl. Could I have learned about Raffles Lighthouse and our other islands online? Sure, but the experience wouldn't be the same. It's just like watching a travel vlog - you get ideas from the videos, but nothing beats travelling there yourself.

Good day, am planning a road trip to Malaysia and considering taking car ferry from Kuala perlis to langkawi. Anyone has experience? Any limitations with Singapore car?

Singapore-Desaru ferry service approved by MPA after safety requirements fulfilled SINGAPORE: A ferry service between Tanah Merah terminal in Singapore and Desaru Coast terminal in Johor has been approved by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Ferry operator Batamfast will run the service, but a start date has yet to be announced. "The commencement of the new ferry service is pending Batamfast’s final preparations to operate this new ferry service, including obtaining the necessary approvals from other authorities," said MPA in a statement on Tuesday (Jun 21). Transport Minister S Iswaran said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that Batamfast may start running services between the two ferry terminals when it is ready. "The start of the ferry service between Singapore and Desaru is another step forward in restoring connectivity between Singapore and Malaysia," he added. The MPA approval comes after the authority said in April that it would approve the ferry service only if it was satisfied the service could be operated safely. The route will be operated by Batamfast's subsidiary Desaru Link Ferry Services, and the journey is expected to take about two hours. The authority received a proposal from Batamfast in March this year to operate the new service between Desaru Coast and Tanah Merah. MPA had asked Batamfast to submit a navigational safety assessment for the proposed route and an emergency response plan. It also asked for an attestation from the certifying authorities that the ferries to be used were fit for the proposed voyage. "MPA has reviewed the submission and assessed that Batamfast has met the safety requirements for the proposed ferry service," it said on Tuesday. Besides the proposed direct route between Desaru Coast and Tanah Merah ferry terminals, MPA has also approved Batamfast’s application of an alternative route between Tanah Merah and Tanjung Pengelih ferry terminals, to be utilised in the event of inclement weather or rough sea conditions. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/singapore-desaru-coast-tanah-merah-ferry-service-start-batamfast-2759856 2 hours to get to Desaru, sounds alright ...

Hi all, Going to batam overnight. Thought of driving to tanah merah ferry terminal. Any idea what's the charges like? Going sunday morning and coming back mon evening... TIA

Hi all, as I'm going to take ferry to desaru for a holiday, I'm thinking whether to park my car at the changi ferry terminal (not tanah merah ferry terminal). I'm concerned about the safety aspects. Anyone has experience of parking there? I'm thinking, if I don't drive,would I have difficulty getting a cab when I return to sg? Thanks in advance to any advice!

Nearly 100 rescued after Batam-Singapore ferry hits floating object All 97 passengers on board, including 51 Singaporeans and seven crew members, are safe and accounted for, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. POSTED: 30 Nov 2015 01:39 UPDATED: 30 Nov 2015 06:51 File photo of passengers boarding the ferry along the Harbour Front in Singapore before heading to Indonesia's nearby Batam island. (AFP Photo/Roslan Rahman) SINGAPORE: Nearly 100 people were rescued after their ferry heading to Singapore from the Indonesian island of Batam hit a floating object on Sunday night (Nov 29). The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it received a report at about 9.45pm that an Indonesia-registered ferry “Sea Prince” had hit a floating object after leaving the Nongsapura ferry terminal in Batam. It said at the time of the incident, the ferry was in Indonesian waters and heading towards Singapore with 97 passengers, including 51 Singaporeans and seven crew. The ferry operator, Batamfast, immediately activated two ferries to transfer all the passengers to the Nongsapura ferry terminal. All the passengers are accounted for and the ferry is in a stable condition, MPA said. One of the passengers, Ms Chella Ho, who was travelling with two other friends, told Channel NewsAsia that the ferry sank slowly in deep waters halfway between Batam and Singapore. She said the ferry operator launched two inflatable boats from the ferry for the passengers, but both inflatable boats also sank due to the overload. All the passengers wore life-saving jackets. Ms Ho said some nearby vessels immediately came to their rescue and all passengers were saved. She said all passengers later arrived at Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal safely. - CNA/de http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/nearly-100-rescued-after/2304342.html?cx_tag=undefined&cid=tg:recos:undefined:standard#cxrecs_s

I saw a Toyota Innova that bears QR plate with Malaysia road tax sticker. A quick check reveals that it was a Sarawak registered car. I am toying with the idea of driving my car to East Malaysia for a road trip. Anybody knows how or done it before? Should be by ferry, right? Cheers

This is my blog landing page for a recent short family trip to Hong Kong and Macau. http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogspot.sg/p/hong-kong-and-macau-2015.html A very short trip, only 4 nights. We flew with FlyScoot (cheap fares but the timing isn't great). Upon arriving in HK, we had a quick breakfast at the airport and took the Citybus A21 into HK and stayed at Eaton Hotel, which is 380 Nathan Road. Over the 2 days, we had Tim Ho Wan (twice), Tsui Wah, Australian Dairy Company and some random food. We also visited Ocean Park and saw the Pandas. That was a very good day outing. We took the ferry to Macau and stayed at the Holiday Inn, Cotai Strip, for one Night. We didn't do very much in Macau, just walked around Cotai Strip. It was too rushed, so we decided against going to the old downtown Macau. Shrekfast at Holiday Inn was pretty cool. We took the ferry back to Hong Kong, stayed one night at the Regal Airport hotel, before taking the Scoot flight back to the Singapore. The plane was severely delayed. Plenty of videos and some pictures on my blog, for your reference. Hope it is helpful for other tourists.

Hi all, is anyone familiar with the changi ferry terminal? I need to book tickets to desaru but there's not much info on it online. Any website for booking or tel number to call? I read somewhere that parking at e terminal is free for travellers. Anyone parked car there during your trip before? I wonder whether it is safe! Tks in advance for any advice

I was thinking of crossing Penang from Butterworth ferry terminal. Need advice. What terminal in Butterworth that cross to Penang? What will be the total time? Upon reaching Penang, what ferry terminal we disembark and from Penang terminal driving to Georgetown, is it another distance. Must we buy the tickets on land or after parking in the ferry? I know i will be opening a can of worms posting this topic but trying my luck whether any bros can comment on this? Thank you!

Anybody know where Changi Ferry Terminal will lead you to? How come you need a 3/4 tank rule when going over there? Is there a place which you take your car offshore to other oversea places? Any bro here have advice over that place?

Hi, does anyone knows that TANAH MERAH FERRY TERMINAL still ferry SG cars to Malaysia east coast? thanks in advance

need pickup son fr PT. any1 know can i park inside or wait at the nearby car park / bus stop or ask him tk free bus to pasir ris wait there.

Hi all, Is it safe to park overnight at TMFT? regads,

Hi, i saw a sign at Tanah Merah ferry terminal which show: "car going to malaysia please keep to this lane" our car go up the ship then go into malaysia to top up fuel? since there's no jam there, and i stay in the east... anyway know what is the cost like, this maybe too exp, that's why no car q-up here.. and please tell me where the ship take our car to? which place? thanks.

anyone tried before? Safe to park at Kuala Kedah jetty?