Whether you are a maritime or heritage buff, there’s now something new to look forward to — a guided tour of Singapore’s fourth-oldest lighthouse — Sultan Shoal Lighthouse.
The three-hour guided tour, starting from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal, offers visitors views of PSA Singapore’s Pasir Panjang Terminal, Pulau Bukom, and Jurong Island from the ferry, and a visit to Sultan Shoal Lighthouse.
It is organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
Located on the small island of Selat Jurong at about 5.5km from the southwestern side of Singapore, the 18m tall lighthouse was built in 1895.
It features a white masonry tower standing above a red-and-white colonial style bungalow.
For over a century, the lighthouse has helped vessels navigate Singapore’s waters and remains operational today.
In an episode of Singapore Landmarks produced by Mediacorp in 1983, an assistant lighthouse keeper, describing his duties, said he and his team had to manually switch the electrical lamps off in the day, and turn them on again in the night.
They are also seen climbing to the top of the masonry tower to remove tarpaulin used to protect the lamps lenses from the sun’s flare.
As compared to operations in its yesteryears, when it first used oil lamps fitted with reflectors, then incandescent kerosene lamps in 1931, followed by electrical lamps in 1967, the lighthouse was automated in 1984 and is now powered by solar energy.
Today, its lights can be seen from about 40km away.
Despite being just about 150m away from Tuas Port’s Phase 2 development, the lighthouse will not be affected by ongoing reclamation works or the subsequent port operations there.
Singaporeans and permanent residents can use their SG Culture Pass to pay for the tickets priced at $75.
Students and senior citizens are offered tickets at $67.50.
Those interested in the tour may sign up at the Singapore Maritime Discoveries website.
[[nid:736622]]
editor@asiaone.com
Read the full article here
