SINGAPORE – Ferry and cruise operations at HarbourFront Passenger Terminal will move to a

new interim terminal

around the second half of 2026, the terminal’s operator Singapore Cruise Centre told The Straits Times on Sept 9.

This move paves the way for HarbourFront Centre – where the international terminal has operated since 1992 – to be redeveloped by owner and real estate firm Mapletree Investments.

Singapore Cruise Centre chief executive Jacqueline Tan said the interim terminal – located next to the current one – is under construction, with operations to start around the second half of 2026. Checks by ST show that construction began in 2024 and is slated to be completed in December 2025.

The current terminal is a port of call for international cruises and also offers ferry rides between Singapore and the Indonesian islands of Batam and Karimun.

Singapore Cruise Centre, which is also owned by Mapletree Investments, operates ferry terminals in Tanah Merah and Pasir Panjang as well.

Mapletree Investments is wholly owned by Singapore’s investment company Temasek, and has since 2023 held provisional permission from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for the 97,700 sq m HarbourFront Centre to be redeveloped.

Its proposed replacement will tentatively have 101,326 sq m for office use and 42,000 sq m for retail.

In September 2023,

Mapletree received permission from the URA to build the interim terminal.

At the time, it was stated that the terminal would be able to operate until Sept 11, 2033, and be demolished after.

An update in October 2024 stated that the interim terminal will have 17,447.28 sq m of floor space.

Mapletree declined to comment on whether the redeveloped HarbourFront Centre will have a new ferry and cruise terminal, and on the timeline for the redevelopment. The Singapore Cruise Centre did not say when the interim terminal is expected to operate until.

In May 2024, ST reported that there are plans for Singapore’s

two cruise terminals to be consolidated in the coming years

, with the cruise centre in HarbourFront set to move so that a continuous promenade can be established as part of the Greater Southern Waterfront.

The country’s other cruise centre – Marina Bay Cruise Centre, operated by Sats-Creuers Cruise Services – is

undergoing a $40 million upgrade

, with capacity set to grow to 11,700 passengers from 6,800 now when works are completed in late 2025.

Singapore Cruise Centre’s Ms Tan said that “cruise infrastructure consolidation is still currently under study and would only take place much further in the future”.

The World Trade Centre building (left) and the centre’s now-demolished exhibition halls (right) can be seen in this 1999 photo along with HarbourFront Passenger Terminal’s L-shaped pier (foreground).

PHOTO: ST FILE

Ferry operators at HarbourFront Passenger Terminal told ST that while they are aware of the 2026 move, they do not know exactly when operations at the interim terminal will begin.

BatamFast general manager for ferry operations Chua Choon Leng said that after the new terminal is completed, operators will have to take over their units to do minor refurbishment works before they can move in, as well as familiarise themselves with passenger flow.

He added that check-in counters for each of the operators – now located in HarbourFront Centre – will move to the new terminal, which he hopes passengers will be able to access seamlessly, and under shelter, from HarbourFront MRT station.

The existing check-in counters at HarbourFront Centre will move to the new ferry and cruise terminal.

ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

The new interim terminal in HarbourFront will utilise the existing terminal’s L-shaped pier, where cruise ships dock.

In recent months, jetties have been added to this pier for ferries to dock at in the future, while two jetties that were connected to HarbourFront Centre have been demolished.

A jetty and pontoon (background) have been added to the terminal’s L-shaped pier in recent months, while another jetty (foreground) is now under construction.

ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

HarbourFront Centre was completed and opened in 1978 as the World Trade Centre building. The trade centre also comprised exhibition halls that stood where VivoCity is now located.

After renovation works, the World Trade Centre building was renamed HarbourFront Centre and reopened in February 2003.

Apart from HarbourFront Centre, Mapletree Investments owns office buildings HarbourFront Tower One and HarbourFront Tower Two, while its subsidiary MPACT Management holds VivoCity in its portfolio.

All four properties are on 99-year leases that began on Oct 1, 1997.

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