NEA to pilot weekly ash scattering ferry service

NEA said that to ensure the service remains inclusive and respectful of all religious and cultural practices, bereaved families may arrange their commemorative rituals or prayers at appropriate locations of their choice outside the ferry terminal, either before or after the ferry service.

Chew Ming Fai, deputy chief executive and director-general of public health at NEA, said: “This pilot will make the scattering of ashes at sea more accessible, while allowing us to better understand the demand and shape the service to meet their needs.”

In a parliamentary reply on Oct 7, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said ash scattering at sea is currently offered by funeral service providers at a designated site about 3.2km east of Raffles Lighthouse.

She added that NEA does not track the take-up rate of sea scattering, but it is exploring ways to encourage the practice.

Families can also keep ashes in a niche at a columbarium or at home, or scatter them at inland facilities.

Since inland ash scattering was introduced in 2021, the take-up rate has grown steadily.

The proportion of cremations followed by ash scattering at inland facilities rose from about 7 per cent in 2022, the first full year of operation, to about 12 per cent in 2025.

The first inland facility, the Garden of Peace at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery, opened in May 2021. NEA told ST in 2025 that the number of people whose ashes had been scattered there rose from about 900 in 2021, a partial year, to more than 2,300 in 2024.

A second facility, the Garden of Serenity, opened at Mandai North Crematorium in August 2025.

A study by the Institute of Policy Studies at NUS found that about 42% of respondents preferred ash scattering as a post-death arrangement. Of this group, nearly two-thirds preferred sea scattering while the rest preferred inland scattering.

The study, conducted from 2023 to 2024, involved about 3,000 participants aged 21 and older.

Demand for after-death services is expected to grow as the population ages, NEA said. Annual deaths are projected to rise from about 26,500 in 2025 to around 40,000 by 2040.

The agency has been expanding capacity at government-managed facilities, including the opening of Mandai North Crematorium.