NEA to pilot weekly ferry service for ashes scattering at sea from 2027
The service will operate weekly from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal.
Chelsea Ong Channel NewsAsia 12 Oct 2026 03:33PM(Updated: 12 Oct 2026 06:02PM)
SINGAPORE: Families will have a new option for scattering the cremated remains of their loved ones at sea under a two-year ferry service pilot that will begin in the second half of 2027.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday (Oct 12) that the service will operate weekly from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal, with multiple groups travelling on the same vessel.
Each application will cost S$50 (US$39).
The pilot is intended to make sea ash scattering more accessible while responding to growing demand for after-death services as Singapore's population ages.
Annual deaths in Singapore are projected to rise from about 26,500 in 2025 to around 40,000 by 2040, NEA said.
About 82 per cent of people who die in Singapore are currently cremated, while ash scattering has become an increasingly popular alternative to keeping cremated remains.
Since inland ash scattering was introduced in 2021, the proportion of cremations involving ashes scattered at designated inland facilities has risen from about 7 per cent in 2022 - the first full year of operation - to about 12 per cent in 2025.
Singapore's second inland ash scattering facility, the Garden of Serenity at Mandai North Crematorium, opened in August 2025.
The booking fee to scatter cremated remains at the two gardens is S$320.
A study on wake spaces conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore also found substantial interest in ash scattering.
About 42 per cent of respondents said they preferred ash scattering, including 27 per cent who favoured scattering ashes at sea and 15 per cent who preferred inland ash scattering.
“These findings reflect sizeable interest in ash scattering as an alternative to storing cremated remains,” NEA said.
Further details of the ferry service, including the location of the pilot sea ash scattering site, booking arrangements and procedures, will be announced before the service begins in 2027.
NEA deputy chief executive officer and director-general of public health Chew Ming Fai said: “As needs and preferences evolve, we are committed to providing more options for people making after-death arrangements for their loved ones.
“This pilot will make the scattering of ashes at sea more accessible, while allowing us to better understand demand and shape the service to meet their needs.”
Source: CNA/co(gf)
NEA to offer ferry services for scattering of cremated remains at sea from second half of 2027
Syarafana Shafeeq Straits Times Oct 12, 2026, 02:30 PM
SINGAPORE – Families wishing to scatter their loved ones’ ashes at sea will have a new option from the second half of 2027, when the National Environment Agency (NEA) launches a two-year pilot ferry service.
The service will run weekly from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal under an operator appointed by NEA, and take multiple groups on a single vessel.
Each application will cost $50 and covers up to six family members on the boat, NEA told The Straits Times in response to queries. The service operates on a communal basis and accommodates up to eight bereaved families on each vessel.
NEA said in a media release on Oct 12 that this was launched in response to the growing demand for ash scattering as the number of cremations rises. About 82% of those who die in Singapore are cremated.
The agency said the service aims to be a more affordable way to scatter ashes at sea. Inland ash scattering at NEA’s two gardens costs $320.
Over the two years, NEA will monitor uptake and gather feedback to assess the long-term viability of the service.
More details, including the scatter site, booking arrangements and procedures, will be released ahead of the start of operations in 2027.
NEA said that to ensure the service remains inclusive and respectful of all religious and cultural practices, bereaved families may arrange their commemorative rituals or prayers at appropriate locations of their choice outside the ferry terminal, either before or after the ferry service.
Chew Ming Fai, deputy chief executive and director-general of public health at NEA, said: “This pilot will make the scattering of ashes at sea more accessible, while allowing us to better understand the demand and shape the service to meet their needs.”
In a parliamentary reply on Oct 7, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said ash scattering at sea is currently offered by funeral service providers at a designated site about 3.2km east of Raffles Lighthouse.
She added that NEA does not track the take-up rate of sea scattering, but it is exploring ways to encourage the practice.
Families can also keep ashes in a niche at a columbarium or at home, or scatter them at inland facilities.
Since inland ash scattering was introduced in 2021, the take-up rate has grown steadily.
The proportion of cremations followed by ash scattering at inland facilities rose from about 7 per cent in 2022, the first full year of operation, to about 12 per cent in 2025.
The first inland facility, the Garden of Peace at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery, opened in May 2021. NEA told ST in 2025 that the number of people whose ashes had been scattered there rose from about 900 in 2021, a partial year, to more than 2,300 in 2024.
A second facility, the Garden of Serenity, opened at Mandai North Crematorium in August 2025.
A study by the Institute of Policy Studies at NUS found that about 42% of respondents preferred ash scattering as a post-death arrangement. Of this group, nearly two-thirds preferred sea scattering while the rest preferred inland scattering.
The study, conducted from 2023 to 2024, involved about 3,000 participants aged 21 and older.
Demand for after-death services is expected to grow as the population ages, NEA said. Annual deaths are projected to rise from about 26,500 in 2025 to around 40,000 by 2040.
The agency has been expanding capacity at government-managed facilities, including the opening of Mandai North Crematorium.
