Sembawang is a
planning area
Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is co ...
and
residential town located in the
North Region of
Singapore. Sembawang planning area is bordered by
Simpang
Simpang, is a planning area located in the North Region of Singapore. The word ''Simpang'' means junction or intersection in Malay. It is situated north of Yishun, east of Sembawang and west of Seletar. Pulau Seletar is classified under Simpan ...
to the east,
Mandai
Mandai is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area located in the North Region, Singapore, North Region of Singapore, famously known for being the access point of the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, Singapore, Night Safari.
The Mandai Cremator ...
to the south,
Yishun
Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, is a residential town located in the northeastern corner of the North Region of Singapore, bordering Simpang and Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, the Central Water Catchment to its southwest, An ...
to the southeast,
Woodlands to the west and the
Straits of Johor to the north.
Despite the relatively large development in the Sembawang New Town, the area remains largely suburban, with military, industrial and
recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...
al facilities at its periphery. It hosted a major
naval base and port facilities since the early 20th century, and continues to handle regular shipping traffic today along its wharves.
Etymology
The earliest reference to Sembawang is found in
Franklin and Jackson's 1830 ''Map of Singapore'', which refers to the River Tambuwang. The place is said to have got its name from the ''pokok sembawang'' (
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
for the
''kayae ferruginea''''),'' which has been renamed ''
Mesua ferruginea
''Kayea ferruginea'' is a plant belonging to Calophyllaceae family;Stephens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/ It was renamed as ''Mesua ferruginea'' and references ...
'' from 1980. This tree can be seen at
Sembawang Park Sembawang Park (Chinese: 三巴旺公园; ms, Taman Sembawang) is a 15-hectare park situated in Sembawang, in the north of Singapore facing the Straits of Johor overlooking Malaysia. It is located at the end of Sembawang Road, where the former Semb ...
.
History
The Sembawang area in the early twentieth century was the site of the
Nee Soon
Nee or NEE may refer to:
Names
* Née (lit. "born"), a woman's family name at birth before the adoption of another surname usually after marriage
**The male equivalent "né" is used to indicate what a man was originally known as before the adopt ...
Rubber estate. During the
colonial times, Sembawang was home to a major British naval base, its construction of which began in 1928 and was completed in 1938.
The base included
dockyards
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
,
wharve
A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of the spin. Historically, whorls have been made of materials like amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, stone, metal (iron, lead, lead ...
s and workshops, as well as supporting administrative, residential and commercial areas. The Naval Base has since been handed over to the
Singapore government, which in 1968 converted it into a commercial dockyard (as Sembawang Shipyard, now part of
Singapore Exchange-
listed SembCorp Marine
Sembcorp Marine Limited an Singaporean company. It is listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX). It was a subsidiary of Sembcorp until 2020, when the companies demerged following Sembcorp Marine's poor financial performance.
Sembcorp Marine's pr ...
) that went on to become SembCorp, a major state-owned industrial
conglomerate
Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to:
* Conglomerate (company)
* Conglomerate (geology)
* Conglomerate (mathematics)
In popular culture:
* The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes
** Co ...
.
Military

The completion of
Royal Navy's
Singapore Naval Base
His Majesty's Naval Base, Singapore, also Her Majesty's Naval Base, Singapore (HMNB Singapore), alternatively known as the Singapore Naval Base, Sembawang Naval Base and HMS Sembawang, was situated in Sembawang at the North Region, Singapore, no ...
(also known as HMS Sembawang) in 1938 and
RAF Sembawang (also known as HMS Simbang) in March 1940 marked the start of military presence in Sembawang. In February 1942, both bases were partially torched and wrecked by the retreating British forces during the
Battle of Singapore to deny their use by units of the advancing
Imperial Japanese Army. After the end of
World War II in 1945, both bases were reverted to British control and would eventually go on to play an important part in Britain's continued military presence in the Far East (along with the three other RAF bases in Singapore:
RAF Changi,
RAF Seletar
Seletar Airport is a civilian international airport serving the north-east region of Singapore. It is located approximately northwest from Changi Airport, the country's main airport, and about north from the main commercial city-centre.
...
and
RAF Tengah ''Tengah'' is an Indonesian and Malay word meaning "Central". It can be found in topography, e.g.
*Kalimantan Tengah
*Tengah Islands or Central Archipelago.
*Tengah, Singapore
*Tengah Air Base
The Tengah Air Base is a military airbase of th ...
) during the critical period of
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
(1948–1960), the
Brunei Revolt in 1962 and during the
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
The Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation or Borneo confrontation (also known by its Indonesian / Malay name, ''Konfrontasi'') was an armed conflict from 1963 to 1966 that stemmed from Indonesia's opposition to the creation of the Federation of ...
(1962–1966).
Despite the
withdrawal of British forces from Singapore in 1971 and the handover of the Singapore Naval Base to the Singapore Government in 1968, the British
Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to maintain a small logistics base at Sembawang wharf to control most of the foreign military activities there, which includes repair, refuel and resupply for ships of the Australian, British and New Zealand navies as well as those from other
Commonwealth countries under the auspices of
Five Power Defence Arrangements
The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) are a series of bilateral defence relationships established by a series of multi-lateral agreements between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, all of which are Commonwe ...
(FPDA).
This special arrangement was also extended to the United States Navy since early 1960s to support the American involvement in the
Vietnam War.
As part of a 1990 agreement between Singapore and the United States,
American military forces (primarily
naval
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
and
air force) have been making use of Sembawang's base facilities. The
Task Force 73
Task Force 73/Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific (CTF 73/CLWP) is a United States Navy, U.S. Navy task force of the United States Seventh Fleet. CTF 73/CLWP is the U.S. 7th Fleet's provider of combat-ready Navy Supply Corps (United States) ...
(and Commander Logistic Group Western Pacific), part of
US 7th Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...
, has been headquartered in Sembawang since 1992.
Sembawang Camp
The Sembawang Camp is a
Singapore Armed Forces military base on Admiralty Road, open only to military personnel on official business. The camp houses the 1st and 3rd Transport Battalion of the
Singapore Army
The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed i ...
, as well as the
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the naval service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any sea-borne threats, and the protection of its sea lines of communications, that would comprom ...
's
Naval Diving Unit (NDU). Also, the compound housing the Naval Diving Unit was previously known as Terror Camp in deference to the old admin and Officers club section of the Royal Naval facility which was called HMS Terror.
Land reclamation
Extensive
land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamati ...
throughout Singapore has left Sembawang with one of the country's last natural beaches,
the Wak Hassan Beach located at
Sembawang Park Sembawang Park (Chinese: 三巴旺公园; ms, Taman Sembawang) is a 15-hectare park situated in Sembawang, in the north of Singapore facing the Straits of Johor overlooking Malaysia. It is located at the end of Sembawang Road, where the former Semb ...
. Today, the vegetable farms, rubber
plantations and Chinese graveyards surrounding the former naval base have given way to modern housing, especially in the 1990s during the development of a
New Town
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
by the Singapore
Housing and Development Board. The town remains a major port, with Sembawang
Wharve
A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of the spin. Historically, whorls have been made of materials like amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, stone, metal (iron, lead, lead ...
s handling a high volume of bulk
commodities
In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them.
The price of a comm ...
cargo, such as timber and rubber.
Roads and waterways
Sembawang Road is one of the key roads built to connect the naval base to the city centre in the South. This road began as a track in the 1920s and was officially named Sembawang Road in 1938. Buses operated by various private companies were then the main mode of transport. The thoroughfare was also dotted with many villages along its length: Chye Kay Village, Sungei Simpang Village, Chong Pang Village, Sembawang Village. Most of these villages were cleared during the 1970s1990s to make way for
Yishun
Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, is a residential town located in the northeastern corner of the North Region of Singapore, bordering Simpang and Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, the Central Water Catchment to its southwest, An ...
and Sembawang New Towns. The last of the villages,
Kampong
A kampong (''kampung'' in Malay and Indonesian) is the term for a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "port" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indigenous people, and has also been used t ...
Wak Hassan, was cleared in 1998. Present day Sembawang Road is a major arterial road linking the Northern and Central portion of Singapore.
Many other roads in Sembawang are named after various
Royal Navy dockyards,
warships,
admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
s, countries and cities. Examples include
Wellington,
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, Canada,
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
,
Kenya and
Falkland. These names were given during the previous British administration, and reflect the town's history as a British
naval base.
The main river running through Sembawang, the long Sungei Sembawang, flowed along a winding route and ended to the west of Sembawang Shipyard. Its middle section was diverted in the 1920s to provide the land needed for the British Naval Base. During the 1970s, the Northern portions of the river was straightened and
canalized
River engineering is a discipline of civil engineering which studies human intervention in the course, characteristics, or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit. People have intervened in the natural course and b ...
. The Southern portions of the river, which consisted of
mangroves, ponds and grassland, was filled in during the 1990s in preparation for the development of Sembawang New Town.
Modern history
The planning of Sembawang New Town started in 1996 where the Woodlands MRT Extension was opened, and
Sembawang MRT station
Sembawang MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North-South line (NSL). Located in Sembawang, Singapore along Sembawang Road, the station is close to the Sun Plaza shopping centre and Sembawang Bus Interchange. T ...
was also opened at the same time. When the station was opened, the area was undeveloped except the Canberra Road and the then-developing Sembawang New Town. This was resolved in 1998 because of the accelerating development of Sembawang New Town, which was completed in 2004. These HDB flats were within Sembawang, Canberra and Gambas division.
In late 2022, Sembawang will have their first
hawker centre and
polyclinic, this will be at
Bukit Canberra which will open progressively from July 2022 onwards.
Main facilities

The new town contains some of the most common communal facilities found in Singapore, such as:
*
Sembawang Bus Interchange
Sembawang Bus Interchange is a bus interchange located in Sembawang, Singapore. Opened on 20 November 2005, it provides hassle-free transfer to the nearby Sembawang MRT station.
This is one of the interchanges in a residential estate to not hav ...
, strategically located next to Sun Plaza, was completed on 20 November 2005. This replaced the old bus terminals located at the Northern tip of Sembawang Road, just next to
Sembawang Park Sembawang Park (Chinese: 三巴旺公园; ms, Taman Sembawang) is a 15-hectare park situated in Sembawang, in the north of Singapore facing the Straits of Johor overlooking Malaysia. It is located at the end of Sembawang Road, where the former Semb ...
and the other located along Admiralty Road West.
*
Sembawang MRT station
Sembawang MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North-South line (NSL). Located in Sembawang, Singapore along Sembawang Road, the station is close to the Sun Plaza shopping centre and Sembawang Bus Interchange. T ...
*
Canberra MRT station
* Five primary schools, including Sembawang Primary School, Canberra Primary School, Endeavour Primary School, Wellington Primary School, and Northoaks Primary School.
* Two secondary schools, including
Sembawang Secondary School
Sembawang Secondary School is a co-educational government secondary school located in Sembawang, Singapore.
History
In the late 1990s, the housing estate of Sembawang began to expand. To meet the needs of the community, Sembawang Secondary School ...
and
Canberra Secondary School
Canberra Secondary School is a co-educational government secondary school of the Ministry of Education (Singapore) ; located in Sembawang, Singapore.
History
Canberra Secondary School opened its doors on 3 January 2000 with Puvan Ariaratnam as it ...
.
* Three shopping centres, including
Sembawang Shopping Centre,
Canberra Plaza
Canberra Plaza is a New Generation Neighbourhood Centre (NGNC) built by the Housing & Development Board (HDB), the government agency in charge of public housing development in Singapore. It is one of the new Neighbourhood Centres (NCs) constr ...
and
Sun Plaza Sun Plaza may refer to:
* Sun Plaza (Bucharest)
Sun Plaza is a shopping mall in Bucharest, Romania, managed by CBRE Romania and owned by Sparkassen Immobilien AG, under the design of the international firm of architects Chapman Taylor.
The mall h ...
next to the
Sembawang MRT station
Sembawang MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North-South line (NSL). Located in Sembawang, Singapore along Sembawang Road, the station is close to the Sun Plaza shopping centre and Sembawang Bus Interchange. T ...
.
*
Sembawang Public Library, which is managed by the
National Library Board and situated within the Sun Plaza shopping centre.
Notable Places
Sembawang Park
Sembawang Park Sembawang Park (Chinese: 三巴旺公园; ms, Taman Sembawang) is a 15-hectare park situated in Sembawang, in the north of Singapore facing the Straits of Johor overlooking Malaysia. It is located at the end of Sembawang Road, where the former Semb ...
, a 15 hectare tranquil park developed in the 1970s and maintained by the
National Parks Board, is situated at the Northern tip of Sembawang Road. One of the few parks in Singapore with a natural beach, the Wak Hassan Beach, this park is a heaven for city dwellers who are tired of the never-ending concrete buildings and sky-scrapers. It's a popular spot for campers as well as families who wish to spend an idyllic day by the beach. One can dine at the Beaulieu House, built in 1910, which was the residence of Admiral Sir
Geoffrey Layton (Commander-in-Chief
British Eastern Fleet, 1940–1942). A wide range of fauna and flora awaits visitors, ranging from the spectacular cannonball tree (''
Couroupita guianensis'') to the many species of birds which have made the park their nesting grounds.
File:Sun_rise_semb_park.jpg, Sunrise
File:Cannon ball tree 2.jpg, Cannonball tree
Within the park is a Battleship-themed outdoor playground that pays tribute to the area's naval history. The playground is located near to Carpark 1 and provides families with the opportunity for play within the park.
Sembawang Hot Spring Park
Sembawang Hot Spring Park is the only hot spring park found in Singapore. It is located along
ambas Avenuenear the junction with Sembawang Road. It reopened on 4 January 2020 after upgrading works, and now features a cascading pool and cafe.
Main attractions here are dipping your feet in the spring water and cooking eggs in the spring water.
Sembawang Park Connector
The Sembwang Park Connector is part of the Park Connector Network managed by the National Parks Board. As their name imply, these connectors aim to form a continuous loop which would hopefully connect all the major parks is a
planning area
Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is co ...
and
residential town located the
North Region of
Singapore. Sembawang planning area is bordered by
Simpang
Simpang, is a planning area located in the North Region of Singapore. The word ''Simpang'' means junction or intersection in Malay. It is situated north of Yishun, east of Sembawang and west of Seletar. Pulau Seletar is classified under Simpan ...
to the east,
Mandai
Mandai is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area located in the North Region, Singapore, North Region of Singapore, famously known for being the access point of the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, Singapore, Night Safari.
The Mandai Cremator ...
to the south,
Yishun
Yishun, formerly known as Nee Soon, is a residential town located in the northeastern corner of the North Region of Singapore, bordering Simpang and Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, the Central Water Catchment to its southwest, An ...
to the southeast,
Woodlands to the west and the
Straits of Johor to the north.
Despite the relatively large development in the Sembawang New Town, the area remains largely suburban, with military, industrial and
recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...
al facilities at its periphery. It hosted a major
naval base and port facilities since the early 20th century, and continues to handle regular shipping traffic today along its wharves.
Politics
Sembawang once begun as a constituency named
Seletar but later carved out forming a dedicated
Sembawang Single Member Constituency
Sembawang Constituency was a single member constituency in Sembawang, Singapore that was formed in 1955 and continued until 1988 when it was merged into Sembawang Group Representation Constituency.
Member of Parliament
Elections
Elect ...
beginning in the
1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
, then resized to a smaller constituency leaving only the northern areas.
Sembawang has always been held by the
People's Action Party since its formation and has been expanded to include subregions of Admiralty and Canberra since it became a
Group Representation Constituency. Former
President of Singapore Tony Tan Keng Yam was one of the notable Members of Parliament of Sembawang, and was succeeded by former
Tanjong Pagar GRC Member of Parliament and former Transport Minister
Khaw Boon Wan beginning in the
General Election 2006, followed by Health Minister
Ong Ye Kung beginning in
General Election 2015 who was then joined by
Poh Li San
Poh Li San ( zh, s=傅丽珊, p=Fù Lìshān; born 1975) is a Singaporean politician and businesswoman. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Sembawang West division of ...
beginning in
General Election 2020
The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...
.
Bibliography
*
*
*
References
{{Authority control
Places in Singapore
North Region, Singapore