Sentosa Ferry Terminal

The Sentosa Ferry Terminal, was a cruise terminal located on the island of Sentosa, Singapore. The cruise center was the first of its kind in the region. Built by the Sentosa Development Corporation in 1972, the terminal was the first of nine planned structures to be built on Sentosa. The terminal can cater maritime traffic to various parts of Indonesia, Batam, Karimun Jawa, Tanjungbalai, Penang and Malacca. The terminal building was completed in 1987, with the now-defunct Ferry Terminal Monorail Station located within the building. After the station closed in March 2005, the station interior was kept intact, and the old monorail tracks were covered up and left forgotten. With the then-future Resorts World Sentosa about to occupy the site in 2007, the structure was subsequently demolished to make way for its new occupant.

The facade of the main entrance as viewed from the fountain gardens

History

Due to lack of facilities at the now defunct Clifford Pier, the government plans to build a cruise center on an offshore island. Sentosa was picked as it will become a tourist destination and will be large enough to cater to the needs of people. Since the terminal's opening in the early 1970s, at least 9 million passengers pass through its operations. However, many believed that passenger traffic declined in the mid-1990s when a small causeway was built to connect the island to mainland Singapore. The Ferry Terminal Monorail Station once served visitors to the western half of the island, but that service has ceased after the Sentosa Monorail was closed down in 2005. By the start of the early 2000s, it had become clear to locals and foreigners that with the decline of passenger traffic, the ferry terminal was losing its purpose.

Demolition

The Ferry Terminal which was alongside the famous Sentosa Musical Fountain and Fountain Gardens, were demolished on 26 March 2007.[1] The demolishing ceremony was witnessed by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, the media, and people from all walks of life. Today, Resorts World Sentosa stands on the demolished section of Imbiah Lookout, with the Crane Dance performance now standing close to where the ferry terminal once stood.[2]

Replacement

After the demolition of the ferry terminal the government later built another cruise center, the Marina South Pier. It was eventually replaced by the International Cruise Terminal in the second quarter of 2012.

See also

References
  1. One Last Bow; The Straits Times - Afternoon Edition, 18 March 2007, Page 46 Archived 13 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Resorts World Sentosa, Crane Dance
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