Introduction to Pleasure Craft Licensing

Introduction

Pleasure craft means any craft which is intended for use within the port exclusively for sport or pleasure purposes, but does not include any craft which is used to carry passengers on sightseeing tours within the port for which each such passenger is charged a separate and distinct fare. All pleasure craft to be used in Singapore port waters must be licensed. Pleasure craft licensed with MPA shall be prefixed with the following letters:

• SZ – in the case of a pleasure craft for private use; and
• SZH – in the case of a pleasure craft for commercial use.Craft’s Mooring/Storage Base

Owners of pleasure craft are required to store their craft at established boatels, yacht clubs, marinas or designated pleasure craft mooring sites. Confirmation letter of mooring from such boatel, yacht club or marina is to be submitted at the time of application. Owners whose craft are found moored illegally will be prosecuted.

When a craft is no longer in use

When a craft is no longer in use, the pleasure craft licence must be surrendered to the MPA Marine Licensing and Permits department (MLP) and approval must be obtained from the Port Master to dispose of or store the craft on land. 

To delicense a craft, please fill up the delicensed form and submit to mlp@mpa.gov.sg. Once approved, you will receive an email confirmation of cancellation.

Driving a powered pleasure craft

Drivers of powered pleasure craft must possess a valid Powered Pleasure Craft Driving Licence (PPCDL) or an Advanced Powered  Pleasure Craft Driving Licence (APPCDL) issued by the Port Master.

If you are holding an expired PPCDL, please note the procedure to renew the PPCDL as follows. You are required to retake the PPCDL course conducted by any of the recognised PPCDL centres listed in Appendix 1 or retake the PPCDL examinations. The licence will only be renewed with the Certificate of Attendance issued by the PPCDL centre or the PPCDL Examination Result.

All licence holders are required to pass a medical examination, commencing from age 65, and once every three years thereafter, that is 65, 68, 71, 74, 77, 80 and so on.

Table 1: Classes of pleasure craft driving licences

Length	<24 metres	>24 metres
Class of Pleasure craft driving licence required	PPCDL	APPCDL

Table 2: List of PPCDL and APPCDL Training Centres

PPCDL Centre	Telephone Number	Fax Number
Changi Sailing Club	6545 2876	6542 4235
Marina Country Club	6564 4866 / 6385 6166	6385 6509
ONE15 Marina Club	6305 6988	6376 0888
Raffles Marina	6861 8000	6861 1020
Republic of Singapore Yacht Club	6768 9239	6768 9280
SAF Yacht Club	6758 3359	6757 9046
Singapore Polytechnic	6772 1817	6772 1958
Singapore Powerboat Association	6564 4866	6564 4568
Water-Venture (Changi)	6545 1140	6545 8897
APPCDL Centre	Telephone Number	Fax Number
Singapore Polytechnic	6772 1316	6772 1958

Reporting of incidents to MPA

In the event of any incidents, such as collisions, damages to craft, any injuries or any loss of life, the owner, master or the person in charge of the craft must report such incidents to the Port Master within 48 hours of the incident. Please contact Marine Safety at Tel: 6325 2488 / 9.

Exemption for Canoes and Kayaks

Since 2 June 2003, canoes and kayaks owned by individuals and organisations (except commercial operators) do not need to be licensed by the MPA. “Organisations” here refers to either:

1. an organisation not operated or conducted primarily for profit, which is engaged in or connected with the promotion of sports; or
2. an education institution not operated or conducted for profit, which is engaged with or connected with the advancement of education; or
3. a public authority or society not operated or conducted for profit, which is engaged with or connected with charitable activities that benefit the community as a whole.

For safety guidelines: Safety Guidelines for Canoeing and Kayaking (.pdf, 436 KB). 

View PDF here: INFORMATION ON LICENSED PLEASURE CRAFT 2009-2019 (.pdf, 298 KB)