Singapore — MPA Dangerous Goods, Petroleum and Explosives Regulations

The MPA (Dangerous Goods, Petroleum and Explosives) Regulations 2005 (S 24/2005), made under section 41 of the MPA Act 1996, remain the governing instrument for the carriage, declaration and berth quantity limits of dangerous goods in the Port of Singapore. The Regulations have been amended five times since 2005 — in 2007, 2009, 2015, 2021 and 2025 — and the declaration process, the ammonium nitrate regime, and the radioactive/nuclear material process have all changed materially since this article was first written in 2012. This is a full revision.

1. Legal basis and current amendment status

• Principal instrument: MPA (Dangerous Goods, Petroleum and Explosives) Regulations 2005 (G.N. S 24/2005), in force from 31 January 2005.
• Amendment history: S 587/2007, S 649/2009, S 795/2015, S 907/2021, and S 140/2025 (in force 1 March 2025).
• The Regulations as originally enacted in 2005 contained only two schedules: the First Schedule (the list of DG subject to quantity control) and a Second Schedule that is unrelated to dangerous goods — it defines a geographic area near Keppel Harbour under regulation 8(a), where Class ‘A’ petroleum carried on deck is capped at 500 litres rather than the 100,000-litre limit elsewhere in the port. Regulation 73 originally let the Port Master set First Schedule quantity limits case-by-case “by notification in the Gazette.” The Third Schedule covered in Section 3 below — the berth-by-berth tonnage table — is a later addition: industry advisories describe it taking effect from 1 December 2021, consistent with the 2021 amendment (S 907/2021).
• The 2025 amendment removes the defined roles of “Inspector of Explosives” and “approved strong-room,” and redefines “explosive” to mean any substance, material or article classified as Class 1 goods under the IMDG Code — aligning the Regulations’ terminology directly to IMDG classification.
• IMDG Code edition currently mandatory: Amendment 42-24 (2024 Edition), mandatory under SOLAS from 1 January 2026. DG declarations, packaging, marking and documentation for Singapore-bound or Singapore-transiting cargo must reflect 42-24.

2. Declaring dangerous goods

Declaration now runs through one of three channels, depending on where the DG will be handled:

All DG must be declared to the Port Master regardless of quantity or First Schedule status. For technical issues on digitalPORT@SG™: +65 6375 1206.

2.1 Documents to have ready

MPA’s published declaration guidance itemises only two document requirements by name — the Certificate of Analysis for ammonium nitrate (Section 4) and the NEA forms/licence for Class 7 cargo (Section 5). In practice, terminal operators, carriers and MPA itself commonly expect the following to be prepared and available for every DG shipment, independent of the port declaration itself:

• Dangerous Goods Declaration (DGD): prepared in accordance with IMDG Code Chapter 5.4 — this is the substance of what gets lodged on PSA PORTNET, JP-Online or digitalPORT@SG™.
• Container Packing Certificate (CPC): signed per IMDG Code 5.4.2 for any containerised DG shipment. Commonly combined with the DGD into a single Multimodal Dangerous Goods Form.
• Safety Data Sheet (SDS): current 16-section SDS, in English. MPA’s own FAQ notes that if a cargo’s classification is unclear, the Authority may ask for the complete SDS directly at hazmat@mpa.gov.sg for verification — so keep the current version on hand rather than only the classification summary.
• Certificate of Analysis (COA): mandatory for ammonium nitrate (UN 1942, 2067, 2426) — see Section 4.
• Cargo-specific approvals: NEA transhipment/transit approval or IR5A/B/C licence for Class 7 (Section 5); TradeNet permit for strategic goods (below).

Some DG are also strategic goods under the Strategic Goods (Control) Act — this typically covers Class 1 (explosives, munitions), Class 7 (radioactive/nuclear material), and certain dual-use chemical precursors. A TradeNet® permit is required before export, transhipment, or transit of anything on the Strategic Goods Control List. This runs on a materially longer timeline than the 12-hour DG declaration above: an Individual Permit application must be submitted at least 5 working days before loading, export/transhipment, or before arrival of the transiting conveyance, per Singapore Customs’ own guidance. Businesses with a high transaction volume can apply for a Bulk Permit, which removes the 5-day lead time once approved. Build the TradeNet timeline into your shipment planning separately from — and well ahead of — the DG declaration.

2.2 Common rejection points checklist

3. First Schedule dangerous goods and the Third Schedule quantity limits as of 16th Aug 2026

Dangerous goods listed in the First Schedule are subject to a maximum quantity that may remain on board any vessel, at any time, within port limits — at PSA container berths, Jurong Port container berths, conventional berths, the Tuas Jetty, or the Sudong Explosive Anchorage. DG not listed in the First Schedule may remain on board without quantity restriction, but must still be declared.

The tonnage limits below are the Third Schedule, as last updated 13 November 2025 — a full replacement of the table in force when this article was first written. Always cross-check the current published table before relying on a figure for a live shipment, as MPA revises it without a fixed cycle.

3.1 Jurong Port container berths (tonnes)

3.2 PSA container terminals — City Terminal berths (tonnes)

3.3 PSA container terminals — higher-capacity berths (tonnes)

A second table in the Third Schedule covers berth codes P01–P41, G01–G02 and U01–U66, with materially higher limits than the City Terminal berths above:

3.4 Conventional berths

3.5 Tuas Jetty

3.6 Sudong Explosive Anchorage

4. Ammonium nitrate

• UN numbers: 1942 (Ammonium Nitrate), 2067 (Ammonium Nitrate Based Fertilizer), 2426 (Ammonium Nitrate, Liquid).
• Mandatory containerisation: under regulation 42, cargoes containing ammonium nitrate or AN fertilisers under IMO Class 5.1 must be packed in containers — in effect since 1 January 2019.
• Certificate of Analysis (COA): required before vessel arrival or loading, issued by a body the Authority deems competent, stating the percentage of total combustible matter (including organic matter calculated as carbon). Required under regulation 40(1)(c) and is a precondition for the Port Master’s loading permission under regulation 44(4)(b).
• Quantity limit: 400 tonnes, or the specific berth limit in the Third Schedule, whichever is lower.

5. Radioactive material and nuclear material

Two distinct regulatory tracks, under a regulator that has been renamed more than once: Centre for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Science → Radiation Protection and Nuclear Science Division (RPNSD) → Radiation Protection and Nuclear Science Group (RPNSG) on MPA’s current guidance. (The Third Schedule PDF footnote still uses “RPNSD” — expect this inconsistency in MPA’s own documents.)

(a) Radioactive material (IMO Class 7) that is not nuclear material

• Requires approval from NEA’s Radiation Protection and Nuclear Science Group for transhipment or transit.
• Apply via the NEA ePortal.
• Submit the completed form to: NEA_RPNSD_Tranship_Transit@nea.gov.sg.

(b) Nuclear material (IMO Class 7)

• Defined under section 28(1) of the Radiation Protection Act: plutonium (excluding Pu-238 >80% isotopic concentration), uranium-233, uranium enriched above natural abundance in U-233/U-235, natural-abundance uranium, or material containing any of these, for peaceful use (ore/ore-residue excluded).
• All transit of nuclear material through Singapore requires an NEA licence — in effect since 22 October 2014, when Singapore acceded to the IAEA Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM).
• Apply via GoBusiness under “IR5A/B/C — Licence to import or export a consignment of radioactive materials, or to transit or tranship a consignment of nuclear material.”
• MPA approval is required in addition to the NEA licence.
• Enquiries: NEA_RPNSD_Tranship_Transit@nea.gov.sg.

The practical distinction to make early is whether Class 7 cargo meets the statutory definition of nuclear material or is ordinary radioactive material — it determines whether the filing is an NEA ePortal transhipment/transit approval or an IR5A/B/C licence via GoBusiness.

6. Bulk hazardous and noxious substances (HNS)

Under regulation 40, the owner, agent or master must notify the Port Master, before arrival, if carrying or intending to load, in bulk:

• Noxious liquid substances under MARPOL Annex II regulation 1(10), including provisionally categorised X/Y/Z substances under regulation 6(3);
• Dangerous liquid substances listed in the IBC Code (2020 edition);
• Liquefied gases under the IGC Code (2016, as amended);
• Solid bulk materials under the IMSBC Code (2025, as amended);
• Residues from prior bulk carriage of any of the above.

Declaration channel: digitalPORT@SG™, not less than 24 hours before vessel arrival, or 24 hours before loading if already in port. If an agent cannot match a chemical to the HNS database, the trade or synonym name can be keyed in manually.

7. Penalties

Regulation 78 sets a general penalty — historically a fine not exceeding S$5,000, plus a further S$1,000 per day for a continuing offence, where no other penalty is expressly provided. This figure is drawn from MPA’s own 2009-dated summary of the Regulations; confirm the current quantum against the consolidated Regulations on Singapore Statutes Online, or with MPA directly, before relying on it — five amendment rounds have followed since that summary was last dated.

8. Summary of what has changed since 2012

• Declaration is no longer a single paper form; it runs through PSA PORTNET, JP-Online, or digitalPORT@SG™ depending on handling location, each with a defined submission window.
• Ammonium nitrate has explicit UN numbers, mandatory containerisation since 2019, and a COA tied to specific regulations.
• The radioactive-material regulator has been renamed (now NEA RPNSG), and its process has split into a Class 7 non-nuclear track (NEA ePortal) and a nuclear-material track (GoBusiness IR5A/B/C licence, in force since 2014).
• The Third Schedule quantity table has been fully reissued (13 Nov 2025) and now appears to include Tuas Port berth codes in addition to the legacy Jurong Port and City Terminal berths.
• IMDG Code Amendment 42-24 became mandatory from 1 January 2026.
• A 2025 amendment removed the “Inspector of Explosives” role and tied the definition of “explosive” directly to IMDG Class 1 classification.
• Strategic Goods Control cross-checks (TradeNet permit, minimum 5 working days) are now explicitly flagged alongside the DG declaration requirement.

This article is maintained on a best-effort basis and reflects publicly available information as of the verification date above. For binding confirmation of any quantity limit, berth restriction, or declaration requirement, contact PSA, Jurong Port, or MPA’s Hazardous Cargo Section directly.