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"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.

Anyone tried buying USA rims via Amazon and shipping via 3rd party shipping agent like ezbuy? From my calulations it seems like I can save more than $2000 even with declared GST.

TAIPEI – Taiwanese shipping giant Evergreen Marine has rewarded employees with massive year-end bonuses worth between 10 and 52 months of salary each, after posting bumper 2022 profits. Local media outlets reported how most of the company’s junior workers with a monthly salary of NT$40,000 (S$1,750) took home a bonus worth NT$2 million each last weekend, which is equivalent to four years’ pay. The 2022 payout is even higher than the 40 months’ bonus that the company paid in 2021, which had set a record at the time for the highest year-end bonus ever paid by a listed Taiwanese company. Thanks to the rebound of global container shipping lines following pandemic lockdowns, as well as soaring shipping prices, the company reported a net profit of NT$304.35 billion for the first three quarters of 2022. The 2022 financial year earnings are expected to be released in March 2023. “The company had good earnings and lots of surplus cash. As it is not aggressively expanding its business operations, it gave some of that cash in the form of bonuses to reward employees, which I think is very reasonable,” said Professor Chiou Jiunn-rong, an economics expert from the National Central University in Taiwan. Evergreen Marine did not immediately respond to The Straits Times’ request for comment, though it previously told local reporters that workers were compensated based on their performance.

off topic here bt anyone here online shop often from usa? looking to buy from amazon n other brands any suggestions on whats good, service, costs? i hear many using vpost or ezbuy to ship? thanks guys!!!

As per title @bancoe happy? Pls link the article. I Sunday oso no rest... Nb Lol

Anyone has any recommendation for sea freight from US to SG? Thinking of buying a platform bed from US but one of the package exceeds vPost maximum dimensions (221 vs 215cm). The dimensions of the 3 packages: 1. 63x5x12" @38lbs 2. 87x5x8" @36lbs 3. 39x4x40" @45lbs Or anyone has seen anything similar locally?

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29961566

Anyone can advise how to define shipping charges for online shopping? if i want to sell something online but how do i tell buyer how much to pay for freight? assuming im selling small items, i understand registered local mail flat rate is $2.50 but what if customer buy more and how do I charge them accordingly? any mechanism to calculate? i intend to setup online website selling stuff. i tot of using paypal to link the transaction but the problem lies with deciding how much to charge on shipping. Do you think if I sell in gmarket will be better off? I simply link my website w catalog directly to gmarket? not only can attract my buyers who visit my website, i can also sell to gmarket buyers who happen to browse for items?

A 193-metre-long container ship ‘Hansa Constitution’ sailing under German flag ran aground on 6th April afternoon by the University of Hong Kong sports ground in Pok Fu Lam. According to residents in the neighborhood, the captain of the ship dropped the anchor to slow down the vessel, as it came to a halt just a few feet away from the promenade, which is popular with joggers. The ship was on its way to Shenzhen when it is believed to have been blown off course by monsoon winds after engine failure. Two diving support vessels as well as two fireboats were deployed for the rescue. The ship was eventually towed away from the shore. There were no reports of hull breach, injuries, or causalities aboard the ship. Watch the video below:

Hi , I am currently looking for one of the above mentioned - if you have experience using a Brother or Zebra label printer can you kindly offer yr pro and con views. TIA

Do ship uses cement for their decks or just plain metal?

I saw this guy in hifi forum helping people to ship back mega items like hifi, tv, bicycle http://www.xtremeplace.com/yabbse/index.ph...;topic=104604.0 Donno whether this guy reliable or not leh? Anyone use his services before?

hi, does anyone know what/which is the cheapest company to ship stuff from spore to overseas? singpost charges $130+ for 30kg which is too ex.. thanks.

any problems when shipping in at customs? paste wax, liquid sealant etc? I read somewhere bro MD mentioned use their direct intl shipping, and not vpost etc. is there any good US websites for detailing stuffs? autogeek? any problemS?

Hi all, An expat friend is considering to ship over his car in UK to Singapore. Any recommendations for a reliable freight forwarding and shipping agent? Thanks.

Hi guys I shipped 4 boxes of car rims from the US. They arrived on a ship here ytd. It was a very complicated process involving the shipper passing the item to the forwarding company which would then consolidate items to be shipped to singapore into one container. Once the shipping company takes over from the forwarding company it would then be up to the agent here in singapore to handle the administration. This method albeit complex, cost the least. Still $600 or so. The goods were due to be picked up by me at the port. So I waited for ~1 month for the ship to arrive. I sent the shipping company the bill of lading and invoice had the items declared as a gift around 3 weeks before the arrival of the goods. The CRO assured me that she would expedite the process and that they could provide customs brokering service as well as delivery for a fee. However, today when i called up the shipping agent they forwarded me the notice of arrival. Turns out agent fees, wharfing and DO fees were not included and they came up to $125. This was not mentioned to me or the shipper by the forwarding company OR the agent here despite me contacting them beforehand to send them the B/L and invoice 3 weeks beforehand. I checked with my friend and he said he wasnt informed. I checked with the agent and they said the $600 i paid was only the ORIGIN FEES So i told the CRO no problem I dont mind paying this amount even THOUGH it was not included in the $600 i already paid for which was told to me as the nett figure. That one im willing to absorb. They then sent me the admin FEEs for processing customs. This one added up to ANOTHER $200 or so. This one was expensive but not unexpected. The forwarding company had told me that I had to pay for customs clearance even if I had declared it as a gift. The agent then chut stunt again say the invoice declaring the rims as a gift doesnt work. That i have to pay GST. This one i also dont mind paying BUT KNNCCB NOW THEN THEY TELL ME AFTER THE RIMS ARRIVE. THEN THEY CHARGE ME FOR 1. FORKLIFTING THE RIMS TO THE WAREHOUSE $75 2. MANPOWER $50 3. WAREHOUSE STORAGE 4. REMOVAL OF RIMS How can they f--king charge me for bringing my rims to the warehouse when it was supposed to be a port pickup They did not even inform me or ask my permission to send it to the warehouse. Even if they claim its not processed by customs yet and i cant collect my good, its their fault why didnt they tell me declaration as a gift doesnt work till today. and charge me for storage and movement BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN DELAY. WHY DIDNT THEY SETTLE ALL THE CUSTOMS ADMIN WITH ME BEFOREHAND BEFORE THE GOODS ARRIVED? I am waiting for my friend to rewrite the invoice. And see what the company can do about this. Im not a calculative person. I dont mind paying $100-200 more even though it was not included in the original deal. BUT $540+ IS AS MUCH AS THE MONEY IT TAKES TO SHIP THE STUFF FROM AMERICA. WTF If they had informed me earlier then I wouldve have used air freight which would have saved me 3 weeks +++ and lots of opportunity costs in my sale of old rims for just abit more $$$ They did not have the decency to inform me or the shipper despite me contacting them 3 weeks beforehand and now they want to charge me for their negligence? They still had the cheek to tell me its their "STANDARD" CHARGES. BS Can i go to the small claims tribunal if they play punk? Its a big shipping agent. I have all the proof and evidence with me. Can any bros in the shipping industry advise?

Hi bros and sis, any recommendations for cheap surface shipping from Singapore to Japan.. I would be sending over personal items for a friend of mine who has went over to japan.. Are there other factors to consider such as weight restrictions, value and packaging? Pls provide any inputs and details regarding the shipping costs, duration, etc if you have any.. Thanks in advance..

I would like to ship sealed 'wet' food (e.g. japanese curry sauce in sealed packets from supermarkets) over to US to a personal friend for personal consumption, but what are the procedures in doing so? Is it even doable? I've been googling but to no avail. So far what Ive found out is that it seems that I'm required to send a prior notice to FDA. But what's next? Do I need some sort of approval, probably printed and affixed to the package before I mail it over? Can anyone help me out? Many thanks!

Has anyone shipped in tires or wheels sets from overseas - eg Tirerack, etc? Seems to make economical sense but I'm newbie on this.

What's the fair rate or any better alternative? I wanted to order 4 items from US. The vendor is charging about US$15 per order. My order ranged from US$0.49c to US$59 making a total of US$78. but the shipping charges came to US$65+. Are you guys also paying high shipping charges relative to the price of the order?

im looking to ship some parts from us. What are the fees involved? where/how do i check them? any reliable and cheap forwarders?

Anyone in container shipping industry? Just heard Maersk having retrenchment exercise. Looks like the worse is yet to arrive.

Recently found some stuff on yahoo auctions japan. but the seller doesn't ship overseas and only accept japan bank transfer. anyone has any lobang to bring stuff over?

Hi, My car parts need to be transported via sea and I wish to know what's the procedure I would need to undertake to collect my goods. Heard that I would need to engage an agent to do the permits etc - any reasonably priced/reliable agents to recommend ? Thanks neotan

Hi all, I intend to sell some stuffs to USA and need some advise. Which courier service is the best in terms of speed and handling of item? I've checked UPS, DHL, Fedex and Singpost and Singpost has the best rates. Which of these provide insurance and tracking service for both sender and receiver? What fees do I need to pay if I'm sending to USA? eg. tax/duties If item is lost in transit, which party has to process the insurance? What are the benefits for declaring item as "gift"? Heard from friend that this will be tax exempted, but not sure why. I read briefly that UPS has tied up with eBay. If I list the items on eBay, will they automatically provide the buyer with the shipping fees and such? Thanks for advise and clarification