RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.25
6April 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-0841)
Original: English Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services
COMMUNICATION FROM SINGAPORE
Response toQuestionnaire onMaritime Transport Services
Thefollowing communication iscirculated attherequest ofSingapore tomembers ofthe
Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services.
_____________
I. Market Structure
Vessels
1.
TYPE DISTRIBUTION OFSHIPS ASAT30NOVEMBER 1994
Type ofVessels Number ofVessels Grt
OilTankers
Liquefied GasCarrier
Chemical Tanker
Combination Carrier
Ore/Bulk Carrier
General Cargo
Container Ship
Refrigerated Carrier
Specialized Cargo
Ro-Ro
Ferries andPassenger
Other332
6
12
9
85
136
88
Nil
NotAvailable
26
62
1,8655,018,494
65,440
70,828
507,210
2,584,061
1,079,841
1,517,212
Nil
Notavailable
728,721
13,752
1,482,232
Total 2,621 13,067,791
Trade
2. Interms ofvalue (i.e.S$)in1993, seaborne trade makes upabout 54percentoftotal
international trade.
3. Interms ofvolume in1993:
Total seaborne trade: 273.7 million freight tonnes.
Seaborne imports: 158.9 million freight tonnes.
Seaborne exports: 114.9 million freight tonnes.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.25
Page2
4. Singapore flagvessels areestimated tohavecarried about 15percentoftotalinternational
seaborne trade in1993.
5. Information isnotavailable.
Organization ofCargo
6. Information isnotavailable.
7. Information isnotavailable.
8. Notapplicable asSingapore isnotacontracting party totheUNCode ofConduct forLiner
Conferences.
9. Notapplicable asSingapore hasnotentered intoanybilateral agreements oncargo-sharing.
10. For1993, thetotalcargo throughput is273.7 million tonnes. Ofthis,127.0 million tonnes
areattributable tocontainerized cargo.
11. Information isnotavailable.
Ports andAuxiliary Services
12. Cargo throughput in1993 isasfollows:
Type ofCargo Million Tonnes
General Cargo 142.6
- Containerized
- Conventional127.0 (89%)
15.6
BulkCargo 131.1
- Oil
- Non-oil123.5
7.6
Total 273.7
13. Except forCustoms Clearance services andPortofSingapore Authority (PSA) 'scoreservices
incargo handling, foreign suppliers areallowed toparticipate inallother services listed.
14. Wholly-owned foreign suppliers arepresent inthemarket intheinland movement bytruck.
Inland movement bywater isnotapplicable toSingapore. Theonlyrailtransport isprovided bya
Malaysian company.
II. Regulatory Structure
General
1. Shipping isunder thepurview oftwoministries inSingapore. TheMinistry ofCommunication
overseesthetechnicalaspectsofshippingviaitsagenciesnamelyMarineDepartment,NationalMaritime
Board andPortofSingapore Authority. Thecommercial aspects ofshipping aresupervised bythe
Ministry ofTrade andIndustry viatheSingapore Trade Development Board.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.25
Page3
Singapore adopts afreeshipping policy. There aregenerally norestrictive measures applicable
tointernational maritime transport sector.
2. None.
3. None.
4. None.
5. Reply inresponse toquestion 13under "Ports andAuxiliary Services" isapplicable.
TheUrban Redevelopment Authority, agovernment agency under theMinistry ofNational
Development, istheplanning authority ontheallocation oflandandwaterfront space inSingapore.
Itassesses applications forwaterfront landjointly withother relevant government agencies.
6. There isnonational definition. Forpractical purposes, thetermbroadly covers transport of
passengers orcargo byshipfrom onecountry toanother.
7. There isnonational definition.
Market Access
8.
a. No.
b. No.
c. No.
d.(i) No,except asprovided under horizontal measures. Please seeAnnex 2.
d.(ii) No,except asprovided under horizontal measures. Please seeAnnex 2.
9.
a. No.
b. No.
10. No.
11. Please seeAnnex 1.
a. No.
b. No.
c. No.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.25
Page4
National Treatment
a. No.
b. No.
13. Alllisted services areavailable tousers attheport.
14. Theuseofpilotage andporttugservices andoperation ofkeyportequipment ismandatory.
15. Allservices areavailable onanon-discriminatory basis.
16. No.
17. No.
18. No.
19. No.
Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment
20. No.
21. Notapplicable asSingapore hasnotentered intosuchagreements.
22. Notapplicable asSingapore isnotacontracting party totheUNCode ofConduct forLiner
Conferences.
23. Nopreferentialtreatmentforanycountryregardingthesupplyofinternationalmaritimetransport
services. Forauxiliary services, wehavenotified thefollowing MFN exemptions:
i) storage andwarehousing;
ii) freight forwarding;
ii) inland trucking;
iv) container station anddepot services.
Commitments onthese auxiliary services willonlyapply tocountries withbilateral shipping
agreements withSingapore.
24. No.
25. Please refertoresponse toquestion 23.
26. Please refertoresponse toquestion 23.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.25
Page5
Government Procurement
27. Non-commercial cargoes refertogovernment cargoes. These arecargoes which thegovernment
andgovernment agencies procure directly orindirectly forprojects which thegovernment isparty to,
wholly orinpart.
Singapore shipping companies which meeteligibility requirements areaccorded priority inthe
tender forthecarriage ofsuchcargoes -i.e.effectively, theyaregiven thefirstrightofrefusal. The
requirements are:
a) thecompany must beincorporated inSingapore;
b) thecompany hasapaid-up capital ofnotlessthanS$10 million;
c) atleast51percentofthecompany 'sequity isowned directly orbeneficially by
Singapore citizens orpermanent residents;
d) thecompany 'sregistered ships inSingapore constitute notlessthan75percentofthe
aggregate tonnage ofitsfleet.
ThisshippingnominationclauseisapplicableforalltenderscalledbytheMinistries,Departments
andStatutory Boards where shipment ofcargo isinvolved. Presently, therearefourshipping companies
which areapproved inprinciple under theshipping nomination clause. However, anyother linescould
undertake carriage ifnoapproved linescould provide therequired service orprovide thesamemeasure
ofservice atthesame cost.
28. None.
Competition Law
29.
a-d. There arenosuchlawsandregulations.
Shipping Conferences
30. No.
31. No.
32. No.
33. No.
34. Notapplicable.
35. There isnospecial arrangement except thatwhich exists based onacommercial agreement -
i.e.thatofabuyer (i.e.theshipper) andseller (i.e.thecarrier) ofshipping services.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.25
Page6
36. There isnomandatory requirement forcarriers toconsult withshippers orshippers councils
ontheterms andconditions ofservices supplied. Where thereisadispute, theparties havetheoption
toseekredress viamediation, arbitration orlitigation inthecourt. Asthese arecommercial disputes,
theGovernment doesnotparticipate intheresolution ofthedisputes.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.25
Page7
ANNEX 1
Requirements forRegistration
1. Onlyships owned bycitizens andpermanent residents ofSingapore andcompanies which are
established under andsubject tothelawsofSingapore mayberegistered asSingapore ships.
2. Forthepurpose ofregistration, ships aredivided intotwocategories viz.locally owned and
foreign owned. Alocally owned shipisoneinwhich themajority ofitsshares isowned bycitizens
orpermanent residents oracompany inwhich themajority ofitsissued share capital isowned bycitizens
orpermanent residents. Aforeign owned shipisoneisoneinwhich themajority ofitsshares isowned
byacompany inwhich themajority ofitsissued share capital isowned byforeigners orforeign
companies.
3. Aforeign owned shipmust beatleast1,600 GRT andbefitted withmechanical means for
self-propulsion. Aforeign owned shipwhich doesnotmeetthese requirements mayberegistered if
itisoperated from, orbased inSingapore. However, theowner mustapply foranexemption ona
casebasis.
4. Ashipofanyagemayberegistered asaSingapore ship. However, ashipof18years orabove
mayonlyberegistered iftheshipisinasatisfactory condition inallrespects. Owners aretherefore
required tosubmit acondition assessment report onthehullandmachinery. Thereport should highlight
anydeficiencies inthehullormachinery. Ashipwhich hasrecently completed itslastdrydocking
survey maysubmit thedrydocking survey report together withtheultrasonic gauging results inlieu
ofthecondition assessment report. Thisparagraph willnotapply toaSingapore shipwhich isregistered
anew.
5. Theageofashipisdetermined from theyearinwhich itwasbuiltortheyearinwhich it
waslaunched; ifthatislaterandtheyearinwhich theshipisregistered.
6. Subject toparagraph 7below, acorporate owner musthaveapaid-up capital ofatleast10per
centofthevalue ofthefirstshipregistered onorafter20April 1979, subject toaminimum ofS$50,000.
Thepaid-up capital neednotexceed S$500,000 inanycase.
7. Inthecaseofalocally owned company (themajority ofitsissued share capital isowned by
citizens orpermanent residents) owning tugsandbarges only, itmayhaveapaid-up capital ofatleast
10percentofthevalue ofthefirsttugorbarge registered onorafter20April 1979, subject toa
minimum ofS$10,000. Thepaid-up capital insuchacaseneednotexceed S$250,000. Theholding
company, ifany,ofsuchacompany mustalsohavetheminimum amount ofpaid-up capital specified
inthisparagraph.
8. Where thecompany mentioned inparagraph 7subsequently registers ashipother thanatug
orbarge, theamount ofitspaid-up capital mustbeadjusted totheamount required under paragraph 6.
9. Theabove should betaken asaguide. Owners areadvised torefertotheMerchant Shipping
(Registration ofShips) Regulations (1990 Revised Edition ofSubsidiary Legislation) (S315/1981) (as
amended byGNNo.S548/1991) which laydown these requirements.ANNEX 2
SINGAPORE - SCHEDULE OF SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS
Modes of supply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence of natural persons
Sector or subsector Limitations on market access Limitations on national treatment Additional commitments
I. HORIZONTAL COMMITMENTS
ALL SECTORS INCLUDED
IN THIS SCHEDULE
I. Presence of natural persons unbound,
except for intra-corporate transferees (seebelow)
II. Temporary movement of skilled personnel
unbound except for the temporarymovement of intra-corporate transferees atthe level of managers, executives andspecialists. Intra-corporate transfereesrefers to managers, executives andspecialists, as defined below, who areemployees of firms that provide serviceswithin Singapore through a branch,subsidiary, or affiliate established inSingapore and who have been in the prioremploy of their firms outside Singapore fora period of not less than one yearimmediately preceding the date of theirapplication for admission and who are oneof the following:
a)Managers - persons within an
organization who primarily direct the
organization, or a department or sub-division of the organization, superviseand control the work of otherI. Unbound
II. UnboundGATS/SC/76...
Page 1
 SINGAPORE (continued)
Modes of supply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence of natural persons
Sector or subsector Limitations on market access Limitations on national treatment Additional commitments
supervisory, professional or
managerial employees, have theauthority to hire and fire orrecommend hiring, firing, or otherpersonnel actions (such as promotionor leave authorization), and exercisediscretionary authority over day-to-dayoperations. Does not include first-linesupervisors, unless the employeessupervised are professionals, nor doesit include employees who primarilyperform tasks necessary for theprovision of the service.
b)Executives - persons within the
organization who primarily direct themanagement of the organization,exercise wide latitude in decision-making, and receive only generalsupervision or direction from higher-level executives, the board ofdirectors, or stockholders of thebusiness. Executives would notdirectly perform tasks related to theactual provision of the service orservices of the organization.
GATS/SC/76...
Page 2 SINGAPORE (continued)
Modes of supply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence of natural persons
Sector or subsector Limitations on market access Limitations on national treatment Additional commitments
c) Specialists - persons within an organization
who possess knowledge at an advanced
level of expertise and who possessproprietary knowledge of the organization'sservice, research equipment, techniques, ormanagement. (Specialists may include, butare not limited to, members of licensedprofessions).
Entry for these intra-corporate transferees islimited to a three year period that may beextended for up to two additional years for atotal term not to exceed five years
III. Commercial presence, right of
establishment and movement of juridicalpersons are subject to compliance with thefollowing provisions:
- A foreigner who wishes to register a
business firm must have a local managerwho should be a Singapore citizen or aSingapore Permanent Resident or aSingapore Employment Pass holder.(However, a foreigner who is a SingaporePermanent Resident or a SingaporeEmployment Pass holder can register abusiness without appointing a localmanager.)
- At least one director of the company must
be locally residentGATS/SC/76...
Page 3 SINGAPORE (continued)
Modes of supply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence of natural persons
Sector or subsector Limitations on market access Limitations on national treatment Additional commitments
- All branches of foreign companies
registered in Singapore must have at least 2
locally resident agents. (To qualify aslocally resident, a person should be either aSingapore citizen or Singapore PermanentResident or Singapore Employment Passholder.)
IV. Specific commitments in market access in
any sector or subsector, through any modeof delivery, shall not be construed tooverride the limitations established in thefinancial services sectorIV. None
GATS/SC/76...
Page 4 