At any time, there are about 1,000 ships in port.  More than 12,000 oil tankers and 3,000 chemical tankers call at Singapore a year.   With the substantial amount of oil and chemicals being shipped in and out of the island, safeguarding our waters and port terminals against terrorist threats remains a top priority of the MPA. Singapore was the first country in Asia to sign the US Container Security Initiative (CSI).

Singapore maintains a high level of maritime vigilance for the port and its waterways. This is carried out through the work of the MPA, the enforcement and security agencies and terminal operators. 

Various measures have been introduced.  They cover restricted access to waters surrounding port installations such as our major oil and chemical terminals, cruise and ferry terminals, the targeting and screening of containers, enhancing of security at sea entry checkpoints, face-to-face checks for crew, increased presence of patrol craft and monitoring using radars, and random and selective escort of sensitive vessels in the port waters and Singapore Strait by the security agencies, among others.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) adopted the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code in December 2002. The ISPS Code contains a set of maritime and port security regulations that are applicable to ships engaged on international voyages, covering passenger ships, cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and above, mobile offshore drilling units, and port facilities serving such ships.  It came into force on 1 July 2004. 

Through close co-operation with the port operators and shipowners, Singapore's port facilities and vessels met the ISPS Code requirements by the deadline.  

As the Designated Authority responsible for implementing the ISPS Code for Singapore port facilities and flagged ships, the MPA will continue to work closely with the security agencies to give effect to IMO maritime security measures. 

Going beyond the ISPS Code, the MPA has introduced additional measures such as the Harbour Craft Security Code (HCSC) to ensure that harbour craft plying within port waters comply with general security standards. Small vessels that are not required to comply with the ISPS Code are also required to fill up a ‘Ship Self-Security Assessment Checklist' prior to entering the port waters. 

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