Boat Quay

Boat Quay

 

We ended our journey by walking down Boat Quay, pedestrian street lined with a row of conserved old shophouses along the mouth of the Singapore River. Historically, Boat Quay was the main artery of Singapore’s economic activity, a place where most ships dock at, loading and unloading their goods, restock food and water supplies, repair and refuel their ships, sailors and shipmen disembark to rest and where most of the trade and commerce takes place. However, when the Singapore government opened a modern, high-tech cargo centre in Pasir Panjang, Boat Quay’ was displaced as the main port of call for Singapore was displaced and its role as the centre of shipping and trading gradually diminished. As shipping and trading companies left Boat Quay, the government cleaned up the Singapore River and embarked on a conservation and redevelopment plan for Boat Quay, where the rows of shophouses were refurbished and opened up for modern businesses, such as restaurants, cafes, bars and small shops. Thus, Boat Quay's social-economic role in the city shifted away from that of trade and maritime commerce, and now takes on a role focused on tourism and aesthetics for the commercial zone behind it and the Singapore River.