Senoko Fishing Port

Background

Senoko Fishing Port (now known as Senoko Fishery Port), which is located at the northern end of Singapore in Woodlands,¹ was officially opened on 6 December 1997. The 3.24-hectare port has the capacity to manage up to 20 tonnes of fish a day, and serves as the home base for local fishing vessels.²

History
Senoko Fishing Port began operations on 2 September 1997. It replaced the 13-year-old Punggol Fishing Port and its wholesale market, which also relocated to Senoko Port on the same date.³ The old Punggol Port was about 2.65 ha and 3.5 m deep. The move to Senoko was necessary to make way for Punggol 21,⁴ an integrated plan to develop Punggol into a waterfront town. At least 30 fishing vessels that had been using Punggol Port were affected by the move.⁵

Description
The S$26-million⁶ Senoko Fishing Port has a 180-metre-long jetty and a seven-metre-deep harbour that allows the docking of the larger foreign vessels to bring their catch in.⁷ It can take in ships weighing up to 300 tonnes,⁸ and has a docking capacity of 70 local trawlers and 120 in-shore fishing vessels. It allows more vessels to berth at the same time, compared to what Punggol could accommodate.⁹  

Besides the port, other facilities include a wholesale centre, which is a two-storey building comprising a wholesale market (that can accommodate up to 30 fish merchants) and a canteen on the first floor, while the second floor consists of offices.¹⁰ The port also has a 24-hour computerised system for supplying fresh water to fishing vessels.¹¹

Managed by the Primary Production Department (PPD) then, it was hoped that Senoko Fishing Port would attract more vessels to Singapore and in turn increase the supply of seafood.¹² It is currently operated by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), a statutory board that was established on 1 April 2019 to oversee food safety and security in Singapore.¹³

The Wholesale Meat and Fish Act as well as the Fisheries Act are enforced at Senoko Fishing Port.¹⁴ It is also an approved landing point in Singapore for coastal fish farms operating in the eastern Straits of Johor.¹⁵

The port is popular amongst locals, especially as Chinese New Year approaches, as fish is sold more cheaply here.¹⁶ 2005 marked the first year when it stayed open during Chinese New Year so that the supply of seafood and fish to local markets was not disrupted.¹⁷



Author
Joyce A. Tuining



References
1. “Punggol Fishing Port to Move to Senoko Next Month,” Straits Times, 5 August 1997, 27; Ginnie Teo, “Fish Sales Drop Despite Large Crowds,” Straits Times, 15 February 2002, 6.(From NewspaperSG); “Senoko Fishery Port,” Singapore Food Agency, 12 May 2020.
2. Tan Shrz Ee, “More Fish from Different Places,” Straits Times, 7 December 1997, 1. (From NewspaperSG)
3. “Kangar Fisherfolk to Move to New Punggol Complex,” Straits Times, 19 February 1984, 8; “Punggol Fishing Port to Move”; Chang Ai-Lien, “End of the Line for Punggol Port,” Straits Times, 1 September 1997, 29; “Senoko Fishing Port,” Straits Times, 5 September 1997, 63. (From NewspaperSG)
4. “Punggol Fishing Port to Move.”
5. Abdul Hadhi, “Fishing Port to Make Way for Waterfront Town,” Business Times, 22 July 1995, 2. (From NewspaperSG)
6. Singapore Food Agency, “Senoko Fishery Port.”
7. “Punggol Fishing Port to Move”; Bǎng é yúgǎng 9 yuè qiān zhì shèng nuò gē 榜鹅渔港9月迁至圣诺哥, Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, 5 August 1997, 8; Su Chengling 苏乘苓, Yuán chǎn jú nǔlì xúnzhǎo gèng duō shíwù gōngyìng láiyuán 原产局努力寻找更多食物供应来源, Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, 17 December 1997, 3. (From NewspaperSG)
8. Tan, “More Fish from Different Places.”
9. Tan, “More Fish from Different Places”; “榜鹅渔港9月迁至圣诺哥.”
10. “Punggol Fishing Port to Move.”
11. Tan, “More Fish from Different Places.”
12. “Fish Merchants Get Rent Cuts,” Straits Times, 2 July 1998, 37; Li Jinchang 李金嫦, Shèng nuò gē yúgǎng qǐ yè yú shāng gèng duō jiāoyì sheng “圣诺哥渔港启业 鱼商更多交易盛,” Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, 4 September 1997, 5. (From NewspaperSG)
13. Ministry of National Development, “New Singapore Food Agency to Oversee Food Safety and Security, the National Parks Board to Oversee Animal and Wildlife Management, as Well as Animal and Plant Health,” press release, 26 July 2018.
14. “SFA’s Centres,” Singapore Food Agency, 12 May 2020.
15. Amanda Lee, “AVA Seeks Ideas for Better Farming Systems,” Today, 25 July 2014, p. 34. (From NewspaperSG)
16. Teo, “Fish Sales Drop Despite Large Crowds.” 
17. “Fish Vendors to Stay Open,” Straits Times, 3 February 2005, 3. (From NewspaperSG)



The information in this article is valid as at May 2020 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.