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Work Permit - Before you apply

Work Pass conditions & requirements for Marine sector

Types of business activities

Industries in the marine sector include those engaged in the following business activities:

  • Ship-building; and/or
  • Ship-repairing.
  Description of activity Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) 2010
1 Building of ships, tankers and other ocean-going vessels
(including conversion of ships into off-shore structures)		 30111
2 Repair of ships, tankers and other ocean-going vessels 30112
3 Manufacture and repair of marine engine and ship parts 30113
4 Building and repair of pleasure crafts, lighters and boats 30120

A company/firm that wishes to be classified under the marine industry must be engaged in at least one of the four ship-building or ship-repairing activities listed above. This activity should also be one of its principal business activities registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).

Approved source countries/territories

Employers in the marine industry can recruit workers from the following countries/territories:

  • Malaysia
  • People's Republic of China (PRC)
  • Non-Traditional Sources (NTS): India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, The Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Philippines
  • North Asian Sources (NAS): Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan.

Foreign Workers who are employed under the marine industry are only allowed to perform ship-building or ship-repairing activities within a shipyard's premises.

Classification of companies in the marine industry

There are four main categories, namely Common Contractors, Resident Contractors, Sponsoring and Non-sponsoring Shipyards. The Work Permit application requirements differ according to the type of classification, as given below.

Type of classification Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) 2005

Sponsoring Shipyard
  • Able to support Resident Contractors and Common Contractors
  • No Prior Approvals required for recruitment/renewal of NTS/PRC Foreign Workers
  • New application or renewal of Work Permits can be done on its own
  • Possesses a valid shipyard license registered with the Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHD)

Non-sponsoring Shipyard
  • Able to support Common Contractors
  • Prior Approvals required for recruitment/renewal of NTS/PRC Foreign Workers
  • New application or renewal of Work Permits can be done on its own
  • Possesses a valid shipyard license registered with OSHD

Resident Contractor
  • Can only be supported by a specific sponsoring shipyard
  • No Prior Approvals required for recruitment/renewal of NTS/PRC Foreign Workers
  • New application or renewal of Work Permits to be done by Sponsoring Shipyard

Common Contractor
  • Can be supported by several shipyards, whether Sponsoring or Non-sponsoring
  • Prior Approvals required for recruitment/renewal of NTS/PRC Foreign Workers
  • New application or renewal of Work Permits to be done by the Sponsoring or Non-sponsoring Shipyard. It must be the same shipyard which has supported the Common Contractor for the Prior Approval application submitted earlier.

Dependency ceiling/quota

An employer in the marine industry is allowed to hire five Work Permit holders for every full-time local employee.

Refer to the Guidelines on Computation of Company’s Quota Balance for details.

Requirements to qualify as skilled workers

For Malaysian Foreign Workers At least a Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia qualification or its equivalent, or a NTC-3 (Practical) Trade Certificate that is relevant to the Foreign Worker's occupation.
For NAS Foreign Workers At least a high school education or diploma qualification, or a NTC-3 (Practical) Trade Certificate that is relevant to the Foreign Worker's occupation.
For NTS or PRC Foreign Workers At least a NTC-3 (Practical) Trade Certificate that is relevant to the Foreign Worker's occupation.

Shipyard safety instruction course

All Foreign Workers in the marine sector must attend a full-day Shipyard Safety Instruction Course (SSIC) and obtain a SSIC pass during their employment in Singapore.

The course content covers the following:

  • Common safety requirements and health hazards in the industry
  • Prevention of accidents and diseases
  • Rights and responsibilities under employment law

Before the Work Permit can be issued, the employer must ensure that the FW attends the course within two weeks of his arrival in Singapore. Marine FWs who have worked six years or less are required to sit for and pass the SSIC test once every two years. Those who have worked more than six years are required to sit for the test and pass it once every four years.

Employers can register their workers for the Shipyard Safety Instruction Course (SSIC) with Accredited Training Providers (ATPs). FWs who fail the SSIC must retake the course as soon as possible. If the employers fail to ensure that their FWs take and pass the SSIC, the affected FWs will have their Work Permits revoked.

Renewal of Work Permits

Work Permits holders whose SSIC certificates have less than one month’s validity will not be permitted to renew their Work Permits.

Foreign Worker levy

The levy rates for FWs vary across different sectors. Find out more about the levy rates for FWs in the Marine sector.

Last updated on 19 August 2011 06:11:16