Draft:The Singapore Lighterage Industry

The Singapore Lighterage Industry can trace its origins back to the 1819 founding of the port city of Singapore by Stamford Raffles. In those days, the city relied mainly on entrepot trade, and the Singapore Lighterage Industry served this process by aiding in the loading, unloading and transport of cargo from ships along the Singapore River.

The industry consisted of Indian and Chinese lightermen, who operated lighters (barge) respectively known as tongkang and twakows. It thrived from 1819 till the 1860s, before the rise of steam ships and the opening of the Suez Canal.

From that point onwards, it would see a steady erosion in its relevance to Singapore's function as a port city, although it remained economically significant. However, the Singapore Lighterage Industry would eventually face numerous issues, including declining economic relevance, accusations of being a major source of river pollution and a forced relocation. These obstacles would lead to its decline and the industry's total collapse in the 1990s.

Location of the Singapore Lighterage Industry

The Singapore Lighterage Industry operated along the Singapore River, located within the city of Singapore. It had 2.95km of navigable length and began at the Kim Seng Bridge to the mouth of the Marina Basin. The width of the river varied greatly, from 20m at Kim Seng Bridge to 160m at the Boat Quay. The Singapore River connected with five other rivers in Singapore at the Kallang Basin, and from there gained access to the ocean via Marina Bay.

The Lighterage Industry operated most heavily within the three Quays along the Singapore River, namely Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay. This arrangement would last until its forced relocation by the Singapore Government to new Lighter Facilities at Pasir Panjang, where it would remain until its eventual demise.

History of the Singapore Lighterage Industry

Origins and Rise: 1819 to the 1860s:

The intention for Singapore to serve as a colonial port settlement meant that the Singapore River was of outsized importance to it. While larger ocean-faring ships mainly relied on the Keppel Harbour for the unloading and loading of cargo, smaller trading vessels that operated within the region found it preferable to anchor closer to the Singapore River.

This was because the lands next to it were found to be highly favourable for the establishment of wharves to facilitate the movement of cargo to and from these smaller maritime vessels, which included junks and large prows. These ships relied upon the services of lightermen to both load and unload their cargo, as well as move them up and down the Singapore River. During this period, most cargo travelled to and from the Singapore River.

This resulted in a thriving lighterage industry blooming in Singapore.

Gradual Decline 1860s to 1970s:

In the mid-1860s, technological advances led to the rise of steam ships, supplanting the position of ocean-faring sail ships within the global trading network. This, combined with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 meant that Singapore as a port city faced a large increase in trade volume. Its growing significance within global trading networks, combined with increased regional demand for the produce that flowed through the port city meant that the Singapore River saw trade within it grow proportionally.

Large numbers of regional ships flocked to the port, with Marine Department reports noting that the number of regional craft visiting Singapore grew by as much as four times between the 1880s and the 1920s. Many of these ships naturally made used of lighterage services, and the industry grew in response to the increased number of traders.

However, while the lighterage industry saw large growth during this period, with the river moving fifty tons of cargo monthly by 1900, the Singapore River itself saw its significance to overall trade volume in Singapore shrink. This was due to the increasing amount of steam ship cargo that moved through the New Harbour instead due to the latter possessing coaling and cargo-facilities specialised for steam ships.

In addition, the Singapore River upon which the lighterage industry relied upon for its livelihood remained neglected both in terms of improvements and maintenance due to a lack of funding. It lacked proper bridges and suffered from issues such as silt build up, the collapse of river walls as well as sand bars. Over the centuries, the river grew increasingly polluted and congested.

By the 1960s, the Singapore River came under increasing scrutiny due to its highly polluted state. As the newly independent country began a period of rapid urbanisation, issues such as the lack of improvement or maintenance of the Singapore River could no longer be ignored. Criticised as an embarrassment to Singapore, attention soon turned to possible culprits of river pollution, one of which turned out to be the Singapore Lighterage Industry.

In 1970, a press statement given by the head of Singapore's Housing Development Board's Urban Renewal Department claimed that the Singapore River had its value as a means of moving cargo from ships. This caused much distress within the Singapore Lighterage Industry, leading to a petition to the government to preserve their way of life whilst carrying out its urbanisation plans. In 1971, the lighterage industry received assurances that there were currently no plans to relocate them, nor were there plans to redevelop the river in the near future.

These assurances were not enough, however, to prevent two separate issues further pressuring the Singapore Lighterage Industry, a decreasing economic significance and new technological advancements.

Already, by the 1970s, trade volume had declined specifically in the Singapore River, and lighter operators had shrunk in number. However, this decline was briefly arrested by the decision of trading ships from China deciding to utilise Singapore as a port of call, competing for business from local producers frustrated by Western shipping line monopolies. These ships relied on lighters to load and unload their cargo, giving the lighterage industry a new lease on life. This 'industry boom' would be short-lived, however, as the Singapore Port Authority soon convinced these Chinese trading ships to make use of their port facilities instead with the promises of free storage for their cargo.

Additionally, containerization and the advent of container ships meant that the lighterage industry's significance to Singapore's trade continued to shrink further. By 1972, Singapore had built its first container port, with another two due for completion in 1978. This resulted in trade activity slowly shifting away from the lighterage industry located in Singapore River to its new container port instead. By 1975, it was estimated that only 40% of the lighter fleet saw active service.

These three issues, a government drive to deal with major sources of pollutants in the Singapore River, declining economic significance and technological advancements shifting trade activities to Singapore's container ports eventually led to calls for the relocation of the Singapore Lighterage Industry.

In 1977, then Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, gave a speech regarding his desire to clean up the rivers in Singapore, which necessitated the removal of not just squatters along the rivers banks, but various riverside industries including the Singapore Lighterage Industry.

Industry Resistance to Relocation:

Initial resistance to suggestions of relocation were fierce. Although the Singapore Lighterage Industry acknowledged the polluted state of the Singapore River which they inhabited, they denied the idea that industry had played a major role in it. In addition, they felt that their industry was worthy of historical preservation, given the role it had played during the nation's early years as a trading port.

Between 1977 and 1983, the lighterage industry campaigned for the right to continue operating on the Singapore River instead of being forcibly relocated. Large organisations within the industry such as the Lighter Owners Association and Transport Vessel Workers Association came together to petition the government to change its mind on relocating them.

They proposed several alternatives, such as ensuring that all lighters were outfitted with proper sanitation facilities to reduce pollution, as well as a special tariff on cargo moving through the river which would be used to maintain the Singapore River. Additionally, they criticised the proposed site of their relocation, which were facilities that had been provided by the government at Pasir Panjang. These facilities, they argued, were overexposed to the sea, and did not have enough space to accommodate all the lighters being relocated.

However, the Singapore government refused to budge on their relocation, instead compromising by improving the Pasir Panjang facilities. These included wharf extensions, a new breakwater to protect lighters, 160 mooring buoys, a new lighter repair facility and various amenities for lightermen such as offices, toilets, canteens and rest areas. These were provided to lightermen at below market rates by the government as part of the compromise.

Despite efforts by the Singapore Lighter Industry, on the 1^st of September 1983, 270 lighters from 30 different lighter companies were relocated to new facilities at Pasir Panjang from the Singapore River permanently.

Collapse:

By 1986, just three years after their relocation, business had fallen by 80%. Over half of the lighterage companies had folded, with the remainder struggling to stay open.

Much of the cargo typically handled by the Singapore Lighterage Industry, including pepper, rubber, and coffee, were now instead being handled by the Singapore Port Authority. Animal feed transport, which had comprised 30% of lighterage business prior to their relocation, had vanished as farms in Singapore were removed.

In addition, the Singapore Lighterage Industry faced a new set of costs which it had not been subject to before. These included port fees, and higher maintenance costs. Previously, lighters moored on the Singapore River had required hull cleaning once every three years. However, being moored at the new Pasir Panjang facilities meant that they were exposed to sea conditions which resulted in barnacle growth that could double the weight of the lighters. This meant that these lighters now required cleaning as often as every six months instead.

Faced with decreased business and increased costs, many lighter companies decided to close. The decline of the lighterage industry also drove away younger workers who saw little to no future in beginning a career as a lightermen. This further cemented the demise of the Singapore Lighterage Industry as a whole.

Modern Day Iteration:

Some lighterage businesses were able to convert their business models from cargo transport to serving as water taxis or tour boats on the Singapore River. This was not a feasible plan for the majority of the lighterage industry though, because of strict government policies on the number and types of boat allowed to operate within the river. These policies maintained that only a maximum of twenty boats were allowed to sail on the river to prevent accidents and pollution to the river, and that only bumboats were the only lighter type approved for operation.

By and large, lighters have become a sort of tourist attraction on the Singapore River, and the Singapore Lighterage Industry's original purpose as an important component of Singapore's trade has completely vanished.