1 of S'pore's last remaining kelongs to close amid high operating costs & licensing restrictions

One of Singapore's last remaining kelongs (offshore palisade fish traps) will officially cease operations by the end of August 2025.

Last days of E63 Kelong

Located off the coast of Pulau Ubin, E63 Kelong has been run by retired civil servant Timothy Ng since 2004.

According to the Singapore Heritage Society, dismantling works are set to begin in September.

While the kelong has survived decades of challenges, its closure is ultimately tied to policy and high operating costs.

Since the Primary Production Department (now the Singapore Food Agency) stopped issuing new kelong licences in 1965, it no longer allows existing licences to be transferred.

In an interview with Straits Times, Ng estimates that he has lost about S$2 million over two decades of running the kelong and the farm.

"Our production costs are high, and it has never been easy to find buyers who would buy at a price that at least covers (our) costs," he said.

During its peak in the 1950s, there were over 300 licensed kelongs that dotted Singapore’s waters, supplying up to 70 per cent of the nation's domestic fish production needs.

Today, only four kelongs remain nationwide.

Open to public till Aug. 31

Ahead of its closure, the Singapore Heritage Society and OH! Open House have launched "Departed Spaces: E63 Kelong", a series that sheds light on the kelong's historical value.

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In a statement, the organisation said:

"While E63 isn’t the last kelong in Singapore, we’d really rather not get to that point before people start noticing that our maritime heritage has gone strangely quiet for an island that’s surrounded by the sea."

For more information on the kelong, visit its website here.

Top image via Singapore Heritage Society