NEA to pilot weekly ferry services for sea ash-scattering from second half of 2027

A private operator for sea burials, Nicky Teo of Funeral Solutions, with items used for a sea burial.

Published Oct 12, 2026, 02:30 PM

Updated Oct 12, 2026, 02:30 PM

NEA will pilot a weekly ferry service from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal from the second half of 2027 for families to scatter ashes at sea.

The two-year trial costs $50 per application for up to six people and aims to make sea scattering cheaper and more accessible.

NEA will monitor demand and feedback to decide if the service should continue, as deaths and cremations are expected to rise with an ageing population.

SINGAPORE – Families who wish 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 new 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 , covering up to six family members on the boat, NEA told The Straits Times in response to queries.

NEA said in a media release on Oct 12 that the pilot is in response to the growing demand for ash scattering as the number of cremations rises. About 82 per cent 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.

During the two-year pilot, NEA will monitor uptake and gather feedback to assess the long-term viability of the service.

More details, including the scattering site, booking arrangements and procedures, will be released ahead of the start of operations in 2027.

Chew Ming Fai, deputy chief executive officer 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 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 the scattering of ashes at sea is currently offered by funeral service providers at a designated site about 3.2 km east of Raffles Lighthouse.

She added that NEA currently does not track the take-up rates of sea scattering, but is exploring ways to encourage sea scattering.

Apart from sea scattering, 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, take-up 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 the National University of Singapore found that about 42% of respondents preferred ash scattering as a post-death arrangement. Of this group, a bout 27% preferred sea scattering and 15% 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.

National Environment Agency

Social conditions and trends

私人海葬服务商 Funeral Solutions 的 Nicky Teo 展示了海葬用品。

发布于2026年10月12日下午2:30

更新于2026年10月12日下午2:30

国家环境局将于 2027 年下半年开始试行从巴西班让渡轮码头出发的每周一次的渡轮服务，方便家属将骨灰撒入大海。

这项为期两年的试验，每份申请费用为 50 美元，最多可供 6 人使用，旨在降低海上撒葬的成本，使其更容易获得。

随着人口老龄化，死亡人数和火葬人数预计会增加，因此国家环境局将监测需求和反馈，以决定是否继续提供这项服务。

新加坡——从 2027 年下半年开始，希望将亲人骨灰撒入大海的家庭将有一个新的选择，届时国家环境局 (NEA) 将推出一项为期两年的试点渡轮服务。

该服务将由国家环境局指定的运营商每周从巴西班让渡轮码头出发，一艘船可搭载多个团体。

新加坡国家环境局在回复《海峡时报》的询问时表示，每份申请费用为 50 美元，最多可涵盖船上的六名家庭成员。

新加坡国家环境局（NEA）10月12日发布的新闻稿称，这项试点计划是为了应对火葬数量上升后，骨灰撒葬需求日益增长的情况。在新加坡，约82%的逝者选择火葬。

该机构表示，这项服务的目的是提供一种更经济实惠的海葬方式。在国家环境局的两个内陆花园进行骨灰撒葬的费用为320美元。

在为期两年的试点期间，国家环境局将监测用户接受情况并收集反馈意见，以评估该服务的长期可行性。

更多详情，包括撒放地点、预订安排和程序等，将在 2027 年开始运营前公布。

国家环境局副局长兼公共卫生总监周明辉表示：“这项试点将使海葬更容易进行，同时让我们更好地了解需求，并调整服务以满足他们的需求。”

10月7日，永续发展及环境部长傅海燕在国会答复中表示，目前殡葬服务提供商在莱佛士灯塔以东约3.2公里处的指定地点提供海葬服务。

她补充说，NEA目前没有追踪海上散射的普及率，但正在探索鼓励海上散射的方法。

除了海葬之外，家属还可以将骨灰存放在骨灰堂或家中的龛位里，或者撒在内陆的殡葬设施中。

自 2021 年引入内陆骨灰撒放方式以来，参与人数稳步增长。

内陆设施火化后撒骨灰的比例从运营第一年（2022 年）的约 7% 上升到 2025 年的约 12%。

第一个内陆设施，位于蔡厝港墓园的和平花园，于 2021 年 5 月开放。国家环境局 (NEA) 在 2025 年告诉《海峡时报》，在那里撒骨灰的人数从 2021 年（部分年份）的约 900 人增加到 2024 年的 2300 多人。

第二个设施“宁静花园”于 2025 年 8 月在万代北火葬场开放。

新加坡国立大学政策研究所的一项研究发现，约42%的受访者倾向于选择骨灰撒葬作为身后事安排。在这些人中，约27%倾向于海葬，15%倾向于内陆撒葬。

这项研究于 2023 年至 2024 年进行，涉及约 3000 名 21 岁及以上的参与者。

国家环境局表示，随着人口老龄化，对身后服务的需求预计将会增长。预计每年死亡人数将从2025年的约26500人增加到2040年的约40000人。

该机构一直在扩大政府管理设施的容量，包括开设万代北火葬场。

国家环境局

社会状况和趋势