HarbourFront ferry & cruise centre to move to interim terminal in 2nd half of 2026

Ferry and cruise operations at HarbourFront Passenger Terminal will be moving to a new interim terminal around the second half of 2026.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Singapore Cruise Centre, which operates the terminal, revealed plans for the move on Sep. 9.

The interim terminal will be located next to the current terminal.

Movement in preparation for redevelopment of HarbourFront Centre

ST reported that the move paves the way for the redevelopment of HarbourFront Centre, which is where the terminal has operated since 1992, by real estate firm Mapletree Investments.

Mapletree, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore's state investment company, Temasek, also owns HarbourFront Centre.

The chief executive of Singapore Cruise Centre, Jacqueline Tan, said that the interim terminal is under construction and is expected to start operating around the second half of 2026.

According to ST, construction of the interim terminal began in 2024 and is expected to be completed in December.

Mapletree granted provisional approval to develop HarbourFront centre in 2023

The current terminal serves a port of call for international cruises and also provides ferry services between Singapore and Batam and Karimun in Indonesia.

According to The Business Times in 2023, Mapletree was granted provisional approval from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to redevelop the 97,700 sqm HarbourFront Centre.

The proposed redevelopment includes approximately 101,326 sqm of office space and 42,000 sqm allocated for retail purposes.

At that time, it was announced that the terminal would continue its operations till Sep. 11 2033, after which it would be demolished.

An update in October 2024 revealed that the interim terminal will have a total floor area of 17,447.28 sqm.

Timeline for redevelopment still unclear

According to ST, it remains uncertain whether the redeveloped HarbourFront Centre will have a new ferry and cruise terminal, and how long the interim terminal is expected to operate until.

The timeline for the redevelopment has also yet to be confirmed.

In May 2024, it was reported that Singapore's two cruise terminals may eventually be consolidated, with the HarbourFront cruise centre to relocate to make way for a continuous promenade as part of the Greater Southern Waterfront.

Meanwhile, Marina Bay Cruise Centre, managed by Sats-Creuers Cruise Services, is currently undergoing a S$40 million upgrade.

Upon completion in late 2025, its capacity is set to increase from 6,800 to 11,700 passengers.

Interim terminal will continue to use the same pier

ST reported that the new interim terminal at HarbourFront will continue to use the existing terminal's L-shaped pier, where cruise ships currently dock.

New jetties have also been added to the pier in recent months to accommodate ferries in the future, while the two jetties previously connected to HarbourFront Centre have been demolished.

HarbourFront Centre was originally completed and opened in 1978 as the World Trade Centre building, and included exhibition halls located at the site now occupied by VivoCity.

Following renovation works, the building was renamed HarbourFront Centre and reopened in February 2003.

Today, Mapletree owns HarbourFront Centre, as well as HarbourFront Towers One and Two, while its subsidiary MPACT Management manages VivoCity.

All four properties sit on 99-year leases that commenced on Oct. 1 1997.

Mothership has reached out to Singapore Cruise Centre for comment.

Top photos via Christopher Seow/Google Maps, Xin Hao/Google Maps