Subsea works, underwater UXO clearance and hyperbaric operations.
SEMTEC, the subsea subsidiary of DEMINETEC Group, brings underwater inspection, marine UXO clearance and hyperbaric works expertise to the port and industrial community of Singapore (Singapore). Our Class II commercial divers — certified under French Decree 2011-45 (hyperbaric class B) and trained to NEDEX/EOD standards — operate on harbours, marine structures, ships' hulls and coastal areas contaminated by 20th-century conflicts.
Singapore, the 'Gibraltar of the East', was the theatre of the Fall of Singapore (8-15 February 1942), one of the largest British military surrenders in history. The Japanese occupation lasted until September 1945 and was followed by U.S. and British air raids on shipyards, oil installations and Japanese fortifications. The Singapore Strait, Sentosa, Pulau Brani, Pulau Tekong and Changi carry a documented WWII UXO legacy.
The Singapore Armed Forces EOD unit (SAF EOD) recovers WWII air bombs, naval shells and ammunition virtually every month during MRT construction, foundation works in the CBD, reclamation in Tuas and Changi, and offshore cable-laying. Sentosa, Labrador Park and Fort Siloso preserve some of the former British coastal defences.
Singapore's strategic projects — Tuas Mega Port, Changi East airport expansion, Cross Island Line, Jurong Island petrochemical expansion — together with subsea cables, offshore wind feasibility studies and pipelines across the Singapore Strait, routinely require UXO desk studies and underwater magnetometric surveys aligned with IMAS standards and French Decree 2005-1325.
In-water survey by qualified divers, ultrasonic thickness through paint, 3D photogrammetry, IACS-class survey report for calls at Singapore.
Magnetometer and gradiometer survey, target identification, controlled neutralisation or recovery in coordination with local authorities.
Wet welding, oxy-arc cutting, underwater concreting, sheet-pile and quay repair.
Refloating of sunken vessels, recovery of submerged plant, crane-assisted lifting operations.
On-site recompression chamber deployment, compliant with French Decree 2011-45 and IMCA D guidance.
In the strategic port of Singapore, SEMTEC mobilises divers, observation ROVs and marine magnetometers to secure basins, jetties, approach channels and anchorages where 20th-century munitions still routinely lie on the seabed.
SEMTEC operates in Singapore and across Singapore from our French bases at La Seyne-sur-Mer (Var) and Wancourt (Pas-de-Calais), our Belgian office in Bruges and our Ukrainian site in Kyiv. Diving spread and naval logistics are mobilised on demand.
Depending on Singapore's history, port seabeds typically conceal sea mines (German EMC, British Mark XVII), submerged aerial bombs (250 kg–500 kg), torpedoes, large-calibre naval shells and depth charges. The preliminary EHT pinpoints the expected typology for Singapore.
Our Class II hyperbaric-class-B divers work to 50 m on air, and we coordinate longer-duration tasks down to 90 m through saturation partners. Observation ROVs extend reconnaissance to 300 m.
A standard UWILD/IWS on a commercial vessel takes 8–24 dive hours depending on hull length, complexity, coating condition and class requirements. SEMTEC issues the class report within 5 days.
Decree 2011-45 governs hyperbaric work in France. Internationally, SEMTEC uses it as a benchmark alongside IMCA D standards and the local regulations applicable in Singapore.
The Port of Singapore is a collection of facilities and terminals handling maritime trade, Singapore’s harbours and shipping. It is located at Pasir Panjang, with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore as owner. PSA International and Jurong Port operate the port’s facilities, collectively managing six container terminals and three general-purpose terminals. Port activities include container transshipment, general cargo handling, automobile handling, marine-fuel bunkering and the movement of vessels between the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean through the Singapore Strait. In 2025, vessel arrivals reached 3.22 billion gross tonnage, container throughput reached 44.66 million TEUs and marine-fuel sales reached 56.77 million tonnes.
The port includes Keppel Harbour, Brani, Jurong, Jurong Island Terminal, Pasir Panjang, Sembawang Wharves, Tanjong Pagar and Tuas Megaport Finger 2. Listed facilities provide 67 berths in 2019, while PSA Singapore’s container facilities comprise 52 container berths, 15,500 metres of quay length, 600 hectares, a maximum draft of 16 metres and 190 quay cranes. Jurong Port has 32 berths, 5.6 kilometres of berth length, a maximum vessel draft of 15.7 metres and warehouse facilities covering 178,000 square metres. Tuas mega port is planned with 26 kilometres of deep-water berths; 18 berths are projected to operate by 2027.
The port operates in a heavily trafficked maritime setting. The majority of ships passing between the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean use the Singapore Strait, and Singapore remains a major transshipment and bunkering location. Navigation constraints include the Straits of Johor, which are impassable for ships because of the Johor-Singapore Causeway. Vessel dimensions require deep-water access: Tuas is planned with 26 kilometres of deep-water berths, while PSA Singapore’s maximum draft is 16 metres and Jurong Port’s maximum vessel draft is 15.7 metres. The port therefore combines continuous shipping movements with deep-draft access requirements and multiple terminal interfaces.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore owns the port. PSA International and Jurong Port are the two service contractors handling operations. Together, they operate six container terminals and three general-purpose terminals around Singapore. PSA Singapore also operates container facilities at several terminals, including Brani, Keppel, Pasir Panjang and Tuas Megaport Finger 2.
PSA Singapore’s container facilities have a maximum draft of 16 metres. Jurong Port has a maximum vessel draft of 15.7 metres and can accommodate vessels up to 150,000 tonnes deadweight. Tuas mega port is planned with 26 kilometres of deep-water berths to cater to the demands of the world’s largest container ships.
Reference : Wikipédia — Port of Singapore
For any survey, inspection or subsea intervention in Singapore, contact our teams:
Tel: +33 (0)9 52 51 00 63
Email: contact@semtec-france.com
Read also: underwater UXO clearance · commercial diving services · offshore subsea works.