To support the fish farming industry, AVA invested $3.85 million in building a new jetty for local farmers. Located at Lorong Halus, the 3,000sqm jetty is 30 times larger than the landing site at Changi Creek. Previously, 63 of our 117 coastal fish farms – which operate in the eastern Straits of Johor – used Changi Creek and Senoko Fishery Port as landing points.

“Many fish farmers have given feedback to AVA that Changi Creek is not suitable as they have to hoist their fish and supplies over a steep sea wall to and from their vessels. In addition, a ladder is needed to embark and disembark from the vessels, and there are also no proper mooring facilities,” said Minister of State for National Development & Defence, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, at the opening ceremony of the Lorong Halus jetty on 24 July 2014.

He further explained: “Senoko Fishery Port is likewise not ideal, as farmers will have to travel about 15km or 45 minutes from their farms to reach the port. The longer distance adds to the farms’ operational cost, although the port has facilities for mooring, loading, and unloading.”

To address these problems, AVA has since 2011 been working with fish farmers and relevant agencies to identify a new landing facility that is close to the fish farming zones in the eastern Johor Straits. Several fish farmers were involved in the design of this new jetty at Lorong Halus, including the layout and types of facilities required.

AVA also allowed fish farmers to use the new Lorong Halus jetty without any fees during the first three months of operation, so that they have ample time to make adjustments with their suppliers of farm materials or their buyers.

From left: Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman (MOS) appreciating the freshness of local fishes, with Mr Sam Choo (Rong-Yao Fisheries) and Ms Tan Poh Hong (AVA CEO).

As one of the pioneers in trying out the new jetty, Mr Frank Tan Chee Boon from Marine Life Aquaculture Pte Ltd said: “This new jetty reflects greatly on Singapore’s aquaculture industry. We first started using the jetty during the trial period, one week before the official opening. The facilities are designed to support our large-scale farming operations, and switching over has allowed us to enjoy a tremendous increase in productivity. Our travelling time was previously around 35 minutes, now it’s just 15 minutes! We also have better time management for our load-on and load-off operations now, cutting down on our labour cost by 70 percent.”

Mr Timothy Ng Keat Seng from 2 Jays Pte Ltd commented: “Since it was opened, I have utilised the Lorong Halus Jetty thrice to load heavy and bulky items, such as timber and flotation drums. I feel that the jetty has provided me with a very convenient point to load such items for my farm.”