Ferries from Singapore

The HarbourFront Passenger Terminal sits above HarbourFront MRT station and is the terminal for western and southern Batam. HarbourFront - Batam Centre is the busiest ferry from Singapore: Batam Fast, Majestic and Sindo together sail it more than thirty times a day, in about 70 minutes. The same three operators run to Sekupang in about 50 minutes. Horizon sails to Harbour Bay in about 50 minutes, and to Nirup Island, a resort island between Singapore and Batam, in about 45 minutes. Batam Fast and Sindo serve Gold Coast Bengkong in about an hour, and Sindo runs weekend sailings to Waterfront City and a daily service to Tanjung Balai on Karimun, about 90 minutes away.

The route pages compare the operators: Batam Centre, Sekupang, Harbour Bay, Waterfront City, Gold Coast Bengkong, Karimun and Nirup Island. The HarbourFront terminal guide explains how to get there.

From Tanah Merah: Bintan, Batam and Johor

Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal lies in the east of the island, near Changi Airport, and is the terminal for Bintan. Bintan Resort Ferries sails to Bandar Bentan Telani, the ferry terminal for the Bintan Resorts area, in about 70 minutes; Majestic and Sindo sail to Tanjung Pinang, Bintan's main town, in about two hours. Bintan is one hour behind Singapore, which matters when you read the return times.

For Batam, Tanah Merah is the alternative to HarbourFront if you start in the east: Batam Fast, Majestic and Sindo sail to Batam Centre in about an hour, and Batam Fast to Nongsapura in about 50 minutes. Batam Fast also crosses to Malaysia: to Desaru Coast on Johor's east coast in about 90 minutes, from Thursday to Monday, and to Tanjung Pengelih at weekends.

All Tanah Merah routes have their own page: Bandar Bentan Telani, Tanjung Pinang, Batam Centre, Nongsapura, Desaru and Tanjung Pengelih. The Tanah Merah terminal guide covers the bus, taxi and check-in.

From Marina South Pier: the Southern Islands

The boats to Singapore's Southern Islands leave from Marina South Pier, next to the MRT station of the same name. Singapore Island Cruise sails a loop to St John's Island and neighbouring Lazarus in about 30 minutes, and to Kusu Island in about 45 minutes, several times a day. Tickets are return tickets, and the last boat back sets the length of your visit. See Marina South Pier - St John's Island, Marina South Pier - Kusu Island and the Marina South Pier guide.

Before you travel

Every ferry to Batam, Bintan, Karimun and Johor is an international crossing with passport control on both sides. Check-in closes 30 minutes before departure with Batam Fast, Majestic and Sindo and 40 minutes before with Bintan Resort Ferries. Indonesia and Malaysia each have a digital arrival card, and on the way back Singapore asks for the SG Arrival Card, also for arrivals by sea. The FAQ sets out what to fill in and when.

All operators on these routes carry foot passengers only; there are no car ferries from Singapore. Batam Fast and Bintan Resort Ferries carry no animals.

The operators

Six operators run the ferries on this site: Batam Fast Ferry, Majestic Fast Ferry, Sindo Ferry, Horizon Fast Ferry and Bintan Resort Ferries to Indonesia and Malaysia, and Singapore Island Cruise to the Southern Islands. Departures by date are in the timetable, from-prices on the prices page.