Ferry from Harbour Bay to HarbourFront Centre

Harbour Bay Guide

Harbour Bay Ferry Port

Found upon one of the broad peninsulas that form the ragged, crown-shaped northern island of Batam is the city district of Nagoya and the port of Harbour Bay. This booming province on the outer fringes of Indonesia was once awash with a dense tangle of mangrove woodland until, in the 1970s, development began on transforming the area into an economic powerhouse. After just a few years, the outline of a modern metropolis began to take shape. Soon a network of roads stretched across the expanse of tropical flatland, between which appeared lofty apartment blocks, stylish shopping malls and even golf courses to entertain travelling entrepreneurs. The ferry terminal of Harbour Bay is found on the busy coastline that borders the western edge of the city centre. It’s a small facility consisting of little more than a few undercover piers that jut into the glassy shallows of the Singapore Strait. Despite the minimal number of passenger amenities at the terminal, it sits along a promenade encircled by a clutch of cafes, restaurants and a large shopping mall housing a supermarket and ATMs. Travelling to and from the port is easy due to its central location. The main road that feeds into the harbour runs in a circle around the inner maze of downtown streets before stretching south along the Julan Sudirman motorway towards the outlying pockets of the city. It’s a route that also cuts east through the countryside, the roadsides here coloured by lush grasses and emerald-leafed palms, towards the Hang Nadim International Airport. The island is supported by very few public transportation links. A train route does not exist while the fleet of city buses are shackled by a limited schedule and only service a few central locations. The main way to travel across Batam is by taxi cab, though avoid any cars that do not display the yellow number plates that characterise the legal services. Two ferry services run from the port multiple times throughout the day. Horizon Fast Ferry and Batam Fast Ferry lines hop across to the sprawling city state of Singapore, a short northwards journey that whisks passengers across the warm waters of the Singapore Strait and along the edge of the supposedly haunted St John’s Island.

HarbourFront Centre Guide

HarbourFront Centre Ferry Port

The HarbourFront Centre is a bold, sheer-walled complex with sharp square angles broken only by the curved glass lobby at its front. It has been a fixture of Singapore’s busy southern coastline since opening as the country’s World Trade Centre in 1977. At the turn of the new millennium, the building was converted into a swanky shopping mall featuring polished halls brimming with boutique stores and even a modern ferry terminal that has earned a reputation as a major gateway into Indonesia. From its position on the central coast of the city’s downtown core, the Harbourfront Centre overlooks a narrow stretch of the Singapore Strait and the nearby island of Sentosa, its vista shaped by the contorted twist of rollercoaster loops and the spires of fantasy palaces found within the Universal Studios theme park. The centre’s promenade is a sight in itself too. The broad walkway is riven by a neat, slithering line where timber planks and paving meet, this border marked by flower-beds filled with palm-trees and exotic shrubs. The port of the HarbourFront Centre is found at the western end of the promenade. It is a large facility serviced by a multi-storey car-park, a bus terminal, plenty of restaurants and bars, and a few nearby ATMs. Ferries depart from the end of an L-shaped pier that extends into the turquoise swell of the strait. The entire length of the pier is pathed by an undercover walkway that allows passengers to board the docked vessels without having to step foot outside. The harbour is blessed with a host of transport links due to its prime location at the heart of Singapore. A vast number of bus routes operate from stations found outside the terminal entrance, most heading deeper into the bustle of the city via the lengthy West Coast Highway. The Changi Airport on the city’s eastern edge is just a 30-minute drive away too, a location that is also serviced by the East West Line high-speed train that stops close to the port. Those travelling to and from Sentosa can also make use of the regular tram service that whisks passengers high above the bridge that separates the island from the mainland. A number of ferry routes currently leave from the HarbourFront Centre towards locations across Indonesia. Services operated by Sindo Ferry, Batam Fast and Majestic Fast Ferry lines make short, daily trips south to the ports of Batam Centre and Sekupang on the nearby island of Batam. Sindo Ferry also offers a weekly route to the Batam port of Waterfront. Another two journeys, hosted by Batam Fast Ferry and Horizon Ferry lines, takes passengers to the Indonesian island’s Harbour Bay port too.