Sea Funeral: Funeral providers expect private arrangements for sea scattering to still appeal to families even as a government-led ferry service begins next year (2027)

2026-11-06

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ash-scattering-sea-inland-ferry-options-cost-6526686?cid=internal_sharetool_androidphone_06112026_cna

SINGAPORE: Like his mother before him, Mr William Tan wants his ashes to be scattered at sea after he dies.

The 61-year-old likened being released into the sea to a sense of "freedom". 

"Our family likes the sea," Mr Tan said simply when asked why his family scattered his mother's ashes at sea rather than inland or instead of keeping them in a columbarium niche.

He chartered two private boats through a funeral service provider for his family for the farewell, but families may soon have another option – a new ferry service piloted by the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The two-year pilot will begin in the second half of next year from Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal, with multiple groups travelling on the same vessel.

NEA said the pilot is intended to make sea ash scattering more accessible as Singapore’s population ages and demand for after-death services grows. It adds to other options for handling cremated remains, including scattering at designated inland facilities, available since 2021.

CHOOSING SEA OR LAND

A study on wake spaces by the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore, conducted in 2023 and 2024, found substantial interest in ash scattering. 

About 42 per cent of respondents said they preferred it, including 27 per cent who favoured scattering ashes at sea and 15 per cent who preferred inland scattering.

Funeral directors CNA spoke to reported varying levels of demand for sea scattering compared with other methods, although most agreed that columbarium niches remained the most popular option.

Before inland scattering was introduced, families who did not want to keep ashes in a columbarium would mainly have considered the sea, said Ms Angjolie Mei, founder of The Life Celebrant.

"Based on our experience, ash scattering in total accounts for about 15 per cent of our cases, split fairly evenly between inland ash scattering and sea scattering.

"The majority of families we serve still choose to place the ashes in a columbarium niche, while keeping ashes at home remains a much smaller proportion."

Empathy Funeral Service founder Eugene Tan said the company has seen a moderate rise in sea scattering alongside growing demand for inland ash scattering. 

More than half of his clients prefer a columbarium niche. Among the rest, twice as many opt for sea scattering as inland ash scattering.

It is similar for clients of Passion Bereavement Care, where columbarium niches remain the most popular choice, followed by inland ash scattering and sea scattering.

Mr Kenneth Yeow, founder of independent funeral consultancy The Afterlife Bro, said 70 per cent of his customers chose sea scattering, compared with 30 per cent who chose inland ash scattering.