How a yacht is bought and kept in Singapore: brokers, berths and what it costs

The purchase price is only part of owning a yacht in Singapore. A 9% tax applies in some cases and not in others, a berth is charged by length and width, and brokers put the annual running bill at 5–6% of the boat’s value. This guide covers who sells, how registration works and where the money goes.

Where yachts are sold

The market’s calendar is built around the Singapore Yachting Festival, held 23–26 April 2026 at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove. Organisers expected more than 90 vessels, 200 brands and over 13,000 visitors. Exhibitors included Azimut, Ferretti Group, Leopard Catamarans, Boat Lagoon Yachting and Simpson Marine. J.P. Morgan Private Bank was the official bank partner, and the show ran a Superyacht Lounge aimed at family offices.

Simpson Marine, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Hong Kong, was acquired by Sanlorenzo in December 2023, according to CB Insights. It keeps its Singapore office at ONE°15. Organisers cited Superyacht Times for the figure that about 65% of yachts active in the region are owned by Asian nationals.

What buying costs, and the 9% question

A June 2026 price guide from the Moneybees blog puts the average new pleasure yacht at about S$1.2 million, with used boats starting near S$26,000 on broker listings. Treat these as indicative figures from a secondary source. In 2019 Alister Brunskill of Boat Lagoon Yachting said the most popular yachts in Southeast Asia were 50 to 80 feet, priced between £1 million and £5 million.

Singapore charges no customs duty on pleasure craft, but 9% GST applies on import for local use or on a local sale. On a S$1 million yacht that is S$90,000. Singapore Customs states that a self-propelled boat arriving for pleasure and leaving under its own power needs no permit, but if it is sold or transferred locally, import GST becomes payable. A buyer should therefore check where a yacht is kept and whether a listing is quoted with or without GST.

Registration and licences

Owners must be ordinarily resident in Singapore or hold the boat through a Singapore business entity, according to Asia Lifestyle Magazine. A foreign-owned company with a Singapore business address qualifies. The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) issues port licences (SZ or SZH) for vessels operating in port waters. A yacht going to international waters needs Singapore flag registration, but a yacht staying in Singapore waters does not. The registration is valid for one year and renewed annually. The skipper needs a Powered Pleasure Craft Driving Licence (PPCDL).

Berths

Singapore’s marinas include ONE°15 (Sentosa Cove), Marina at Keppel Bay, Raffles Marina, the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club (RSYC), Marina Country Club and the SAF Yacht Clubs at Changi and Sembawang. ONE°15 describes itself as a private marina and yacht club inside Sentosa Cove.

Published rates, cited by Moneybees as of June 2026 and before GST, include:

• ONE°15, wet berth, 50–60 ft, member: S$1,920–2,300 per month
• RSYC, wet berth: S$6 per foot plus metered utilities
• RSYC, dry berth: S$450–1,000 per month
• Raffles Marina: new rates from 1 December 2025, quoted on request

For a 50–60 ft boat at ONE°15, that is roughly S$23,000–27,600 a year for the berth alone. These figures should be confirmed with each marina.

ONE°15’s own surcharge schedule shows two items buyers often miss. A catamaran, trimaran or large monohull exceeding the allocated width pays an extra 100% of the berthing fee. A vessel holding a charter (SZH) licence also pays an extra 100%. Members staying longer than a month pay a deposit of two months’ berthing fees. Multihulls had their largest-ever presence at the 2026 festival, so the width rule applies to a growing share of new boats.

The annual running bill

Brunskill’s 2019 rule of thumb for Southeast Asia was 5–6% of the boat’s value per year, covering captain, services, maintenance and berthing. On a S$1.2 million yacht that would be S$60,000–72,000. The figure is seven years old, so it is a starting point for a budget, not a quote.

Chartering is the usual way to offset costs, and the Singapore Yacht Show’s organiser said in 2019 that owners should seek as much charter income as possible. At ONE°15, though, a charter licence doubles the berth fee, which narrows the margin.

What this means for a buyer

A yacht’s cost in Singapore has four separate parts: a tax event at import or local sale, annual licensing, a berth priced by length and beam, and running costs. Decisions about structure, such as holding the boat through a Singapore company, keeping it offshore or chartering it, change the total more than the choice of model does. For visiting superyachts, SG Marine Guide estimates each visit brings about S$110,000 into the local economy, which is one reason marina capacity has become a priority for the industry.