By
Laura Hyde |
Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC) has reopened its Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal following a year-long renovation designed to enhance the customer experience. The SCC hopes the upgrades will support growth in travel between Singapore, the Riau Islands, Indonesia, and Johor, Malaysia, in the coming years.
The terminal now features self-service kiosks and automated lanes to speed up passenger processing. The SCC expects up to 70 per cent of ferry passengers to perform self check-in at the 15 new kiosks, which will be fully deployed by the end of the year. Passengers will be able to scan their passports at the kiosks and print out boarding passes and luggage tags for their journey. They can then drop their bags at one of six counters (previously the terminal only had four).
The SCC Tanah Ferry Terminal now has six bag drop counters, up from four prior to the renovation
The SCC is also rolling out the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)’s passport-less clearance initiative, which will enable all arriving and departing Singapore residents to clear immigration using facial and iris biometrics. They will not need to present their passport. All departing foreign travellers will also be able to use the ICA’s passport-less clearance system, which enables passengers to clear immigration in 10 seconds, 60 per cent faster than before.
The renovation work, which cost $20 million, has also increased overall clearance capacity in the immigration halls by about 50 per cent, expanding from 12 to 26 lanes for arriving passengers and 12 to 20 lanes for departing passengers.
The terminal also features new food and beverage outlets including Woon’s Kopi by Killiney, Subway, Luckin Coffee and Lepak Corner, as well as an outdoor children’s playground and a prayer room. It also houses ‘flexi’ rooms which can be converted for meetings to help business users.
Murali Pillai, Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport for the Singapore parliament, officially opened the upgraded terminal, saying: “The upgrading of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal marks a significant milestone in enhancing connectivity between Singapore, Johor and the Riau Islands. I am happy that more passengers can now enjoy the upgraded facilities when they pass through the terminal. These improvements will enhance the travel experience at the terminal and support more regional economic collaboration in the years to come.”
The upgraded terminal was officially opened by Murali Pillai of the Singapore parliament