Shipowners calling at Singapore face a 24% increase in the cost of purchasing potable water, under measures outlined by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA).
The MPA said the increases will be phased in over a two year period with the revisions coming into effect on 1 July 2017 and then 1 July 2018.
The potable water tariff will remain unchanged at SGD 1.92 ($1.37) per cubic metre (cbm), but the waterborne fee (WBF) and the water conservation tax (WCT) are set to increase.
From 1 July this year the WCT will increase from its current price of SGD 0.58 to SGD 0.67 per cbm, while the WBF will increase on the same date from SGD 0.58 to SGD 0.78 per cbm.
Twelve months later the WCT will increase again from SGD 0.67 to SGD 0.96, while the WBF will go from SGD 0.78 to SGD 0.92 per cbm.
The increases mean that the total cost of potable water available for ships in Singapore will increase to SGD 3.37 per cbm and then SGD 3.80 on 1 July 2017 and 2018 respectively.
“The revisions take into consideration the rising operations costs and heavy investment in water infrastructure,” the MPA said in a port marine circular.
Singapore recently announced plans in its Budget 2017 to increase domestic water prices by 30% over two years.
The country currently sources just over half of its water supply from imports and local catchment areas, with the remainder coming from recycling and desalination.
