GST Guide For The Marine Industry

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IRAS e-Tax Guide

GST Guide for the Marine Industry

Published by
Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore

Published on 11 Feb 2016

Disclaimers: IRAS shall not be responsible or held accountable in any way for any damage, loss
or expense whatsoever, arising directly or indirectly from any inaccuracy or incompleteness in
the Contents of this e-Tax Guide, or errors or omissions in the transmission of the Contents.
IRAS shall not be responsible or held accountable in any way for any decision made or action
taken by you or any third party in reliance upon the Contents in this e-Tax Guide. This
information aims to provide a better general understanding of taxpayers’ tax obligations and is
not intended to comprehensively address all possible tax issues that may arise. While every
effort has been made to ensure that this information is consistent with existing law and practice,
should there be any changes, IRAS reserves the right to vary our position accordingly.

© Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, including photocopying and recording without the written permission of the
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permission must also be obtained before any part of this publication is stored in a retrieval
system of any nature.

Table of Contents

1

Aim ...................................................................................................................... 1

2

At a glance .......................................................................................................... 1

3

Meaning of ‘ship’ ................................................................................................ 1

4

Zero-rating the sale or letting on hire of goods for use on a ship
under sections 21(6A) and (6B) of the GST Act............................................... 3

5

Supplies of stores, bunker fuel and merchandise for sale by retail to
persons carried on ships which fall outside the definition of ‘ship’ ............. 6

6

Zero-rating of international services to ship ................................................... 7

7

Zero-rating repair and maintenance services performed for ship and
ship parts or components ................................................................................. 8

8

Benefits under the Approved Marine Customer Scheme (AMCS) ............... 11

9

Contact information ......................................................................................... 11

APPENDIX 1 − Summary of changes ..................................................................... 12
APPENDIX 2 ............................................................................................................. 14
APPENDIX 3 ............................................................................................................. 16
APPENDIX 4 ............................................................................................................. 17
APPENDIX 5 – Specific scenarios qualifying for zero-rating .............................. 18

GST Guide for the Marine Industry
1

Aim

1.1

This e-Tax Guide1 explains the GST treatment for ships and certain ship and
marine-related supplies.

2

At a glance

2.1

The GST treatment for ships and ship-related services recognizes the
international character of the marine industry. Consequently, the sale or lease
of goods and certain services supplied to ships can be zero-rated if they fulfil
certain conditions.

3

Meaning of ‘ship’

3.1

Supplies of goods and international services made to a ship can qualify for
zero-rating under sections 21(3), (6A) and (6B) of the GST Act, if the ship falls
within the definition in section 21(4)(a) and the conditions in the respective
provisions are satisfied. Please refer to Appendix 2 for the relevant extracts of
the zero-rating provisions.

3.2

Under section 21(4)(a)2, ’ship’ means:
“any ship (including an oil rig) but does not include any ship —
(i)
(ii)

that is licensed under the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
(MPA) Act (Cap. 170A) as a passenger harbour craft or pleasure craft3;
in respect of which a vessel permit has been granted by the Public
Utilities Board (PUB) under regulations made under the Public Utilities
Act (Cap. 261)4; or

This e-Tax guide replaces the IRAS’s e-Tax guides “GST Guide for the Marine Industry – 2010
Budget Changes” and “GST Guide for the Marine Industry – 2011 Budget Changes”.
2
For information on the changes to the definition on ship under section 21(4)(a) on 1 July 2010 and 1
January 2011, please refer to Appendix 1.
3
Ship owners are required to display the ship’s licence number on both sides of the bow, above the
water line. Passenger harbour crafts and pleasure crafts are currently issued licences by the MPA
beginning with the following prefixes. Hence, ships with these prefixes do not fall under the definition
of ‘ship’ under section 21(4)(a) of the GST Act:
1

Licence Prefix
SP
SZ
SZH

Licence Use
if the vessel is used for the carriage of passengers
in the case of a pleasure craft for private use
in the case of a pleasure craft for commercial use

Type of craft
Passenger harbour craft
Pleasure craft
Pleasure craft

Source – MPA (www.mpa.gov.sg); correct at the time of publishing this e-Tax Guide. You are advised to also
refer to MPA’s website for any updates or changes.
4

Ships that are granted vessel permits by the PUB are excluded from the definition of ‘ship’ in section
21(4)(a) from 1 Jan 2011 as these ships are for domestic use within Singapore inland water ways.
Consequently, zero-rating under sections 21(3) and (6A) does not apply.

1

(iii)

3.3

that is designed or adapted for use for recreation or pleasure and is so
used within Singapore (unless the use within Singapore is for such
purpose that is incidental to its use outside Singapore as the Comptroller
may allow).”

The meaning of ‘ship’ therefore includes most commercial ships (other than
those licensed as passenger harbour craft by MPA) as well as ships designed
or adapted for use for recreation or pleasure which are wholly used for
international travel.
Recreation and pleasure ships: Meaning of ‘wholly for international travel’

3.4

Riding on the requirement that ships which are intended for sail in
international waters must be registered under a country’s flag, any pleasure
and recreation ship that is either Singapore-flagged or foreign-flagged will be
treated as a ship that is wholly used for international travel.

3.5

This is provided that the ship is not:
(a)

concurrently licensed as a pleasure craft with MPA or, if applicable,
granted a vessel permit by PUB5;

(b)

used as the permanent or long-term accommodation of persons who
reside in Singapore. This excludes visiting foreign owned yachts which
are used as accommodation of the crew or passengers whilst the yacht
is temporary berthed in Singapore; or

(c)

concurrently used for travelling or other activities within Singapore
waters (for instance, your yacht is also used for day trips or
entertainment activities within Singapore waters), with the exception of
temporary and limited movement of ships within Singapore waters such
as for the purposes of moving from one marina to another.

Identifying ships that are ‘wholly for international travel’
3.6

5

Administratively, the Comptroller of GST will accept the following as indicators
that a recreation and pleasure ship is wholly intended for international travel (a)

You, as the supplier, have verified/sighted that there is no MPA pleasure
craft licence number (i.e. SZ/SZH) displayed on the ship; and

(b)

You have obtained a written declaration from your customer that the
conditions in paragraph 3.5 are satisfied. This written declaration may be
incorporated into your customer’s purchase order or written instruction to
you or your delivery note to your customer provided that the customer
endorses the delivery note (name, designation, signature and company
stamp where applicable).

As explained in footnote 4, this exclusion takes effect only from 1 Jan 2011.

2

3.7

If you have applied the indicators above and assessed that the ship falls
within the definition in paragraph 3.2, you can zero-rate your supplies (as
discussed in paragraphs 4, 6 and 7) if you also satisfy the conditions of the
respective provisions, as applicable.

3.8

However, if you have any reason to believe that the ship may not fall within
the definition of ‘ship’ despite having applied the indicators above, then you
should standard-rate your supply. For instance, if you observe that the
customer’s residential address is that of the ship, this may indicate that your
customer lives on board the ship and therefore condition 3.5(b) would not be
satisfied.

Example 1
You have applied the indicators in paragraph 3.6 and assessed that the
repair services you have performed are on a yacht that falls within the
definition of ship. In this case, you can zero-rate your repair services if
you also satisfy the conditions under section 21(3)(p) of the GST Act.
Example 2
You are engaged to perform repair services for a yacht belonging to a
local expatriate. You note that your customer’s billing address is that of
the ship you have repaired and that he has provided no other
Singapore residential address. In this case, you cannot zero-rate your
repair services despite the fact that your customer claims that the ship
is only wholly used for international travel.

4

Zero-rating the sale or letting on hire of goods for use on a ship under
sections 21(6A) and (6B) of the GST Act

4.1

The sale or letting on hire (i.e. rental) of goods qualifies for zero-rating if the
Comptroller is satisfied that the goods are for:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)

4.2

use as stores or fuel on a ship;
installation on a ship or a ship under construction;
use in the maintenance or operation of a ship; or
use as merchandise for sale by retail to persons carried on a ship.

The goods must be delivered to a ship in Singapore at the time of supply. If
you supply goods that are exported to a ship located outside Singapore, the
rules for export of goods will determine if your supply qualifies for zero-rating.
Please refer to the e-Tax Guide “GST: A Guide on Exports” for more
information.

3

Meaning of ‘goods which are for use or installation on the ship’
4.3

Examples of goods considered as being for use or installation on a ship are
machinery, equipment or other goods which are:



4.4

installed and become part of the ship; or
for use on the ship for its operations and maintenance.

The following types and uses of goods are excluded and hence zero-rating
will not apply even if the goods are used or installed on a ship:
 Cargo carried on board a ship for the purposes of being transported to
another destination. Although cargo carried on board a ship is not regarded
as ‘goods which are for use or installation on the ship’, the supplier can
zero-rate this supply of goods if he can satisfy the conditions for zero-rating
the export of goods. For more information, please refer to the e-Tax guide
“GST: A Guide on Exports” which explains the scenarios and documentary
requirements under which a supply of goods can be zero-rated.
 Goods that are purchased by a ship’s crew for their own use, such as
televisions, audio visual or electronic equipment or devices. Such goods
will continue to be excluded from zero-rating as they are considered as
being supplied to the crew and not the qualifying ship. This is so even if the
crew purchases these personal items through a ship agent/chandler for
convenience and uses them on the ship.

4.5

The flowchart in Appendix 3 illustrates the general factors you would have to
consider to decide if your supply qualifies for zero-rating.
Example 3
Some crew members would like to purchase personal items e.g.
cigarettes. They place their orders through the ship agent. The ship
agent delivers the general ship stores, together with the crews’ personal
purchases on board the ship. In this instance, zero-rating will only apply
to the general ship stores but not to the crews’ personal purchases. This
is notwithstanding that the Master/Chief Engineer of the Vessel
acknowledges delivery of the cigarettes on behalf of the crew.

4

Specific scenarios qualifying for zero-rating relief
4.6

The specific sale and rental of goods scenarios which qualify for zero-rating
relief are listed below. Please note however that zero-rating is also dependent
on you maintaining the documents listed in Appendix 5. The belonging status
of your customer is not relevant for the purposes of determining if zero-rating
applies.

Scenario 1
Goods are delivered directly on board the ship in Singapore, except
goods supplied to pleasure and recreation ship which are wholly
consumed in Singapore (refer to paragraph 4.8 for more information).
Scenario 2
Goods are delivered to a named place as instructed by your customer
to facilitate the subsequent delivery of the goods directly to the ship in
Singapore, except goods supplied to a pleasure and recreation ship
which are wholly consumed in Singapore (refer to paragraph 4.8 for
more information).
Scenario 3
Goods are delivered to a shipyard for use or installation on a ship under
construction in Singapore.
Scenario 4
Goods are sold and delivered directly to a shipyard in Singapore.
Scenario 5
Goods are sold to a 3rd party contractor (your customer) but delivered
directly to a shipyard in Singapore

4.7

If your arrangement falls outside the above 5 scenarios, please write in to
seek the Comptroller’s prior approval to zero-rate the supply.
Exception to this relief

4.8

There are certain supplies of goods which cannot be zero-rated. This applies
to supplies of goods to Singapore-flagged or foreign-flagged pleasure and
recreation ships falling within the definition of a ship where the goods
purchased are wholly consumed whilst the ship is in Singapore. These
supplies are considered as private end consumption in Singapore and hence
subject to GST. Examples of such supplies of goods include:
 electricity or fuel supplied to berthed ships.
 water and food provisions consumed entirely in Singapore by the crew or
passengers of the ship.

5

4.9

However, where it can be clearly identified that such goods (e.g. food and
water provisions) are purchased for use on an international voyage or for the
upkeep or use within the ship itself (e.g. lubricants, paint and spare parts etc),
the supply would still qualify for zero-rating provided that you maintain the
supporting evidence. The flowchart in Appendix 4 illustrates how you, as the
supplier, can determine whether your supplies fall within this exception.
60-day Rule

4.10 You are required to collate the relevant documents listed in Appendix 5 within
60 days from the time of supply. In the event that you fail to obtain all the
required evidence within the 60-day period, you should standard-rate the
supply.
4.11 There may be instances when you may not be able to comply with this 60-day
rule, for example, when the ship is delayed. In such circumstances, you may
write in to obtain the Comptroller’s approval to zero-rate the supply. You may
wish to note that the Comptroller has published in the e-Tax guide “GST: A
Guide on Exports” the scenarios where the Comptroller is prepared to extend
the 60-day period. If your supply satisfies any of the scenarios in the e-Tax
guide, you do not have to write in for approval.

5

Supplies of stores, bunker fuel and merchandise for sale by retail to
persons carried on ships which fall outside the definition of ‘ship’ in
paragraph 3

5.1

If you supply stores or bunker fuel to ships or merchandise for sale by retail to
persons carried on ships which fall outside the definition of ‘ship’ in paragraph
3.2, you can still zero-rate these supplies under the scenarios below provided
that the ship is bound for a destination outside Singapore. The following
documents will need to be maintained:
For goods delivered directly on board
the ship
(i) Purchase order (PO) from your
customer that goods purchased are
to be used as stores, bunker fuel or
merchandise for sale by retail on
board the departing ship. The PO
should indicate the name of the ship,
date
of
departure
and
next
destination from Singapore;

For stores delivered to a named
destination as instructed by your
customer
(i) Purchase order (PO) from your
customer that goods purchased are
to be used as stores, bunker fuel or
merchandise for sale by retail on
board the departing ship. The PO
should indicate the name of the ship,
date of departure and next
destination from Singapore;

(ii) Written
instructions from
your (ii) Written instructions from your
customer to deliver the goods to the
customer to deliver the goods to the
ship (this may be included in the PO);
named destination (this may be
included in the PO);
(iii) Sales invoice to your customer;
(iii) Sales invoice to your customer;
6

(iv) For the supply of stores and (iv) Delivery note (DN) endorsed by your
merchandise for sale by retail to
customer that the goods delivered to
persons carried on a ship, the
the named destination are used as
delivery note (DN) endorsed by the
stores on a voyage to or from a
Master/Chief Engineer of the ship
destination outside Singapore. In
that the goods delivered are used as
addition, the date of receipt of goods
stores on a voyage to or from a
and the place of next destination of
destination outside Singapore. In
the ship must also be indicated on
addition, the date of receipt of goods
the DN; and
and the place of next destination of
the ship must also be indicated on
In cases where you passed the
the DN;
goods to an independent party (e.g.
ship manager, launch agents or
(v) For the supply of bunker fuel, the
shipping
companies)
for
bunker DN endorsed by the
consolidation purposes for delivery
Master/Chief Engineer of the ship;
to the ship, we understand that you
and
may have difficulty in obtaining the
DN that is endorsed by the
Master/Chief Engineer of the ship. In
(vi) Evidence of payment received from
such instance, we are prepared to
your customer.
accept the DN that is endorsed by
the
independent
party
and
confirmation of receipt of goods by
the Master/Chief Engineer of the
ship to the independent party (where
available) as an alternative to the
DN that must be endorsed by the
Master/Chief Engineer.
(v) Evidence of payment received from
your customer.

6

Zero-rating of international services to ship

6.1

Sections 21(3)(k), (l), (m), (n), (o) and (p) of the GST Act provide for zerorating of prescribed services to ships.

6.2

To substantiate that these ship-related services can qualify for zero-rating,
you should maintain the following documents6:
 Contract, work order or purchase order from your customer, indicating the
type and name of ship which the work relates to, and a detailed description
of the services provided. For ships designed or adapted for use for
recreation or pleasure (as applicable), the written declaration as explained
in paragraph 3.6 to prove that the ship is one falling within the definition in
paragraph 3.2;
 Invoice to your customer;
 Evidence of payment received from your customer; and

6

Other than for repair and maintenance services performed for ship and ship parts or components
under section 21(3)(p) which is discussed in paragraph 7 below.

7

 Your in-house documents maintained, if any, which substantiate the
services provided by you (e.g. service report).

7

Zero-rating repair and maintenance services performed for ship and ship
parts or components

7.1

Section 21(3)(p) of the GST Act read together with Paragraph 1 of the Sixth
Schedule of the GST (International Services) Order accord zero-rating for the
supply of repair and maintenance services on ship and ship parts and
components7 where:

7.2

(a)

the repair or maintenance is carried out on board the ship;

(b)

any part or component of the ship is removed for repair and reinstalled
on the ship;

(c)

any part or component of the ship is removed for repair and returned to
the ship as a spare;

(d)

any part or component of the ship is removed for repair and delivered to
a shipyard situated in Singapore or to an Approved Marine Customer8
(AMC) after repair or maintenance; or

(e)

the supplier invoices his customer for repair services but provides a
reconditioned ship part or component in exchange for the faulty part and:
 installs the part or component on the ship;
 brings the part or component onto the ship as a spare; or
 delivers the part or component to a shipyard situated in Singapore or to
an AMC.

The ship part or component must be for a ship falling within definition of ‘ship’
in paragraph 3.2.

7

Please refer to Appendix 1 for information on the GST treatment for repair and maintenance
services before 1 Oct 2011.
8
Please refer to paragraph 8 and the e-Tax Guide “GST: Approved Marine Customer Scheme
(AMCS)” for more information on Approved Marine Customer (AMC). It is necessary for the supplier to
verify that the customer is an AMC by validating the customer’s status against the list of AMCs
provided on IRAS’ website.

8

7.3

To zero-rate your supply of repair or maintenance services, you need to
maintain the documents listed below:
Repair and maintenance services
carried out on board the ship or where
the part or component is removed
from the ship for repair, is reinstalled
or returned to the ship as a spare
(i) Work order or purchase order (PO)
from customer for repair or
maintenance services.
The work
order or PO must specify the
following details:
i.
ii.

Type and name of vessel
License number of vessel, if it is
licensed by MPA (preferably);

Repair and maintenance services
where the repaired ship part or
component is delivered to either a
shipyard situated in Singapore or
AMC
(i) Work order or purchase order (PO)
from customer for repair or
maintenance services. The work
order or PO must specify the
following details:
i.
ii.
iii.

(ii) Invoice to its customer;

Type and name of the vessel
License number of vessel, if it is
licensed by MPA (preferably)
Details/ characteristics of ship
part or component;

(iii) Evidence of payment received from (ii) Invoice to its customer;
customer; and
(iii) Evidence of payment received from
(iv) Documents validating that the repair
customer;
or maintenance was carried out on
board the ship or where the part or (iv) Delivery note endorsed by the
component is removed from the ship
shipyard or AMC; and
for repair, is reinstalled or returned
onto the ship as a spare. This could (v) Documents validating that the repair
include work order report or any other
or maintenance was carried out on
similar documents endorsed by the
specified ship part or component.
supplier and customer.
This could include work order report
or any other similar documents
endorsed by the supplier and
customer.

7.4

For repair services where you provide a new/reconditioned ship part or
component in exchange for the faulty part to your customer, you must
maintain the same documents as listed under paragraph 7.3 (where
applicable) to substantiate zero-rating. In addition, you must indicate on your
delivery note that you have provided a new/reconditioned part or component
in exchange for the faulty item.
Ancillary expenses on-charged (ancillary supplies) in the course of providing
repair and maintenance services

7.5

In the course of performing repair and maintenance services, you may incur
expenses on services which you on-charge to your customer. Examples of
such ancillary supplies include delivery charges, overtime allowances for
labour, travel costs, etc.

7.6

For simplicity, the Comptroller is prepared to regard all such expenses
incurred and on-charged by you as part and parcel of your overall repair and
9

maintenance services and hence be zero-rated, if the value of the ancillary
supplies is less than or equal to 5% of the total consideration invoiced to your
customer.
7.7

If the value of the ancillary supplies exceeds the 5% threshold, zero-rating
may apply only if the following qualitative factors are satisfied:
(i)

The ancillary supplies are essential and integral to your provision of the
repair or maintenance services, i.e. they would not be necessary if not
for your principal supply of repair or maintenance services. Examples
include:
 Docking, undocking and mooring services: in view that the ship must
be docked and moored at your shipyard for you to carry out your
repair work
 Shore charge and shore supply charges: tariffs you impose for space
taken up by the ship at your shipyard while the repair work is being
carried out
 Obtaining necessary permits from the MPA to carry out the repair
work
 Water used for the repair works (e.g. for cleaning of ship, cooling of
machinery etc).

(ii)

The ancillary supplies are provided as part of your overall repair and
maintenance contract with your customer.

Example 4:
You incur international freight charges to deliver the repaired ship part to
your overseas customer. The international freight charges amount to
more than 5% of the total consideration (i.e. repairs charges plus
international freight reimbursement).
Notwithstanding that the international freight charges exceeds the 5%
threshold, you may still zero-rate the entire supply on the basis that you
would not have incurred the international freight charges if not for the
fact that you provided the principal supply of repair services to your
customer.

10

8

Benefits under the Approved Marine Customer Scheme (AMCS)

8.1

The Approved Marine Customer Scheme (AMCS) allows qualifying
businesses in the shipping and marine industries (referred to as Approved
Marine Customers or AMCs) to:
(i) Purchase or rent goods in the course of their business without their
suppliers having to maintain the documentary requirements set out in this
e-tax guide. This is provided the goods are for: (a) use as stores or fuel
on; (b) installation on; or (c) use in the maintenance or operation of a
commercial ship that is wholly for international travel.
Further, in addition to the benefit of simplified documentary requirements,
the 60-day requirement to obtain these documents is also relaxed for
businesses approved under the scheme.
(ii) Procure repair or maintenance services for ship parts or components
without having to prove that the parts or components are reinstalled or
returned onto the ship as a spare.

8.2

For more information on the AMCS, please refer to the e-Tax Guide “GST:
Approved Marine Customer Scheme (AMCS)”.

9

Contact information

9.1

For enquiries on this e-Tax Guide, please contact:
Goods & Services Tax Division
Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore
55 Newton Road
Singapore 307987
Tel: 1800 356 8633
Fax: (+65) 6351 3553
Email: gst@iras.gov.sg

11

APPENDIX 1 − Summary of changes
GST Provision
Definition of ‘ship’

Treatment before 1 Jul 2010
A ship which is not designed or
adapted for use for recreation or
pleasure and excludes any ship
licensed under the Maritime and
Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)
Act as a passenger harbour craft
or pleasure craft.
Consequently prior to 1 Jul 2010,
zero-rating under section 21(3) of
the GST Act does not extend to
ships that are designed or
adapted for use for recreation or
pleasure, even if they are wholly
used for international travel.

Treatment from 1 Jul 2010
The meaning of ‘ship’ was widened
to include ships that were designed
or adapted for use for recreation or
pleasure, provided that they are
wholly used for international travel.

Additional change from 1 Jan 2011
The meaning of ship has been
amended to exclude ships granted a
vessel permit by the Public Utilities
Board (PUB) under regulations made
under the Public Utilities Act (Cap.
261) in view that these ships are
Please refer to paragraph 3 for used domestically within Singapore
information on how to identify ships inland water ways.
that are ‘wholly for international
travel’.
Consequently,
zero-rating
under
sections 21(3) and 21(6A) does not
Consequently, zero-rating under apply to these ships.
sections 21(3) and 21(6A) applies
to these ships.

12

GST Provision
Zero-rating repair and
maintenance
services
performed for ship and
ship
parts
or
components

Treatment before 1 Oct 2011
Treatment from 1 Oct 2011
Repair and maintenance services performed on a The scope of repair and maintenance services qualifying
ship and its parts or components qualifies for zero- for zero-rating is extended to include:
rating if –
a) the repair and maintenance is carried out on  repair and maintenance services performed on ship
board the ship;
parts or components which are delivered to –
b) any part or component of the ship is removed
(i) shipyards in Singapore; or
for repair and reinstalled on the ship;
(ii) Approved Marine Customers
c) any part or component of the ship is removed
for repair and returned to the ship as a spare;
in addition to the previous scenarios (a) to (c).
or
d) any part or component of the ship is removed  With regard to the previous scenario (d), the scope of
and replaced by an identical part or
zero-rating has been modified to apply to any
component
arrangement where the supplier invoices his customer
for repair services but provides a reconditioned ship
part or component in exchange for the faulty part and:
(i) installs the part or component on the ship;
(ii) brings the part or component onto the ship as a
spare; or
(iii) delivers the part or component to a shipyard
situated in Singapore or to an Approved Marine
Customer
Please refer to paragraph 7.3 for information on the
documents to be maintained to substantiate zero-rating.

13

APPENDIX 2
Section 21(6A)
Subject to subsection (6B), a sale or letting on hire of goods is zero-rated where the
Comptroller is satisfied that the goods are —
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

for use as stores or fuel on a ship;
for installation on a ship or a ship under construction;
for use in the maintenance or operation of a ship; or
for use as merchandise for sale by retail to persons carried on a ship,

and, in any of those cases, if such other conditions or restrictions, if any, as may be
prescribed by the Minister in regulations or as the Comptroller may impose are
fulfilled.
Section 21(6B)
Where there is a sale or letting on hire of goods referred to in subsection (6A) in
relation to any ship which is designed or adapted for use for recreation or pleasure,
the supply is zero-rated under that subsection only if the Comptroller is satisfied that
the goods are used outside of Singapore.

List of international services relating to ships
Section 21 of the GST Act provides for zero-rating of exports and international
services.
The following is an extract from the GST Act and its Subsidiary Legislation, and the
GST (International Services) Order which define the scope of international services
relating to ships that qualify for zero-rating. Specifically, it lists the zero-rating
provisions under sections 21(3)(k), (l), (m), (n), (o) and (p) of the GST Act.
Section 21(3):
(k) prescribed services supplied —
(i) under a contract with a person wholly in his business capacity (and not in his
private or personal capacity) and who in that capacity belongs in a country
outside Singapore; and
(ii) which directly benefit a person wholly in his business capacity (and not in his
private or personal capacity) and who in that capacity belongs in a country
other than Singapore;
The prescribed services are services of engineers, lawyers, accountants and
other similar consultancy services which are supplied directly in connection with
ships within the meaning of section 21(4)(a) of the GST Act.
(l) prescribed services in connection with –
(i) the handling of ships; or
(ii) the handling or storage of goods carried in a ship;

14

The prescribed services are services supplied within any free trade zone or
designated area of a port or terminal for —
(a) the handling of ships; or
(b) the handling or storage of goods carried in any ship.
(m) pilotage, salvage or towage services performed in relation to ships;
(n) services comprising the surveying of any ship or the classification of any ship for
the purposes of any register;
(o) the supply (including the letting on hire) of any ship;
(p) prescribed services comprising the repair, maintenance, broking or management
of any ship;
The prescribed services are:


The repair and maintenance of any ship where —
(a) the repair or maintenance is carried out on board the ship;
(b) any part or component of the ship is removed for repair and –
(i) reinstalled on the ship, or returned onto the ship as a spare; or
(ii) delivered to –
(A) a shipyard situated in Singapore; or
(B) an Approved Marine Customer referred to in regulation 106A of
the GST (General) Regulations; or
(c) any part or component of the ship is removed and repaired by way of an
exchange with an identical part or component, with the identical part or
component being –
(i) installed on the ship, or brought onto the ship as a spare; or
(ii) delivered to –
(A) a shipyard situated in Singapore; or
(B) an an Approved Marine Customer referred to in regulation 106A
of the GST (General) Regulations



The making of arrangements for the supply (including the letting on hire) of, or
of any space in, any ship.



Management services, in relation to any ship, provided to the owner, operator
or agent of the ship.

15

APPENDIX 3
Flowchart on the general factors you would have to consider for zero-rating the sale
and letting on hire (i.e. rent) of goods for use on a ship falling within the definition in
paragraph 3.2

Step 1:
Are you selling or
letting on hire (i.e.
renting) goods for
use on a ship in
Singapore?
(please refer to
paragraph 4)

NO

Normal rules for export of goods
apply. Please refer to the e-Tax
guide “GST: A Guide on Export” to
determine if you can zero-rate your
supply. If you cannot prove export
of goods, you must standard-rate
the supply.

YES

Step 2:
Is the ship a ‘ship’ a
within the meaning
of paragraph 3.2?

NO

You should standard-rate your supply
unless the transaction qualifies for
zero-rating under paragraph 5.

YES

Step 3:
Does your scenario fit
into Scenario 1-5 of
Appendix 5 and can
you satisfy the
documentary
requirement for zerorating?
?

NO

You should standard-rate your supply
unless you have obtained the
Comptroller’s prior approval to zerorate the supply.

YES
Yes, you can zero-rate this
supply of goods.

16

APPENDIX 4
Flowchart on the general factors you would have to consider to determine whether
your supplies fall within the exception for zero-rating the sale and letting on hire (i.e.
rental) of goods for use on a recreation and pleasure ship falling within the definition
in 3.2

Step 1: Is the ship
a recreation and
pleasure ship
within the meaning
in paragraph 3.2?

NO

Your supplies should be standard
rated unless it qualifies for zero-rating
under paragraph 5.

YES

Step 2:
Are the goods
supplied wholly for
consumption outside
Singapore?

NO

If the goods are wholly consumed in
Singapore while the ship is berthed in
Singapore, you cannot zero-rate this
supply of goods.

YES

Step 3: Does your
scenario fit into
Scenario 1-5 of
Appendix 5 and can
you satisfy the
documentary
requirement for zerorating?

NO

You should standard-rate your supply
unless you have obtained the
Comptroller’s prior approval to zerorate the supply.

YES

Yes, you can zero-rate this supply of goods.

17

APPENDIX 5 – Specific scenarios qualifying for zero-rating
Types of
goods/ship
All goods supplied
to ships (as defined
in paragraph 3.2)
except for goods
supplied to
recreation and
pleasure ships
which are
consumed wholly in
Singapore (refer to
paragraph 4.8 for
more information)

Scenario and documentary requirements
Scenario 1 - Delivered directly on board the ship in Singapore
You can zero-rate the supply of any goods for use or installation
on a ship if you deliver or arrange for the delivery of the goods
directly on board the ship in Singapore, and you maintain the
following documents:
(i) Purchase order (PO) or any other written instruction from your

customer indicating that the goods are for the use/installation
on a ship and to be delivered directly to the ship;
The PO must indicate:
 the type and name of the vessel;
 the license number of the ship if the vessel is licensed by
the MPA (this is optional but you are strongly encouraged
to maintain this information where possible);
 the place of delivery of the goods as the ship itself.
(ii) Your invoice to your customer;
(iii) Evidence of payment received from your customer;
(iv) For any goods other than bunker fuel, your delivery note (DN)

must be endorsed by the Master/Chief Engineer of the ship
that the goods delivered are for use/installation on the ship.
The DN must also show the date of receipt of goods; and
(v) For the supply of bunker fuel only, the bunker DN must be

endorsed by the Master/Chief Engineer of the ship.
For recreation and pleasure ships, you will need to also maintain
the following:
(vi) For the supply of non-ship specific items such as water and

food provisions, your customer is required to undertake that
the goods are for consumption during international travel.
Zero-rating of such supplies should also be supported with a
port clearance certificate indicating that the ship is departing
from Singapore within one week from the date of delivery of
the goods.

18

Types of
goods/ship

Scenario and documentary requirements
Scenario 2 - Delivered to a named place as instructed by your
customer to facilitate the subsequent delivery of the goods
directly to a ship in Singapore
You can zero-rate the supply of any goods shipped for use or
installation on a ship where the goods are delivered to a named
place as instructed by your customer to facilitate the subsequent
delivery of the goods directly to the ship in Singapore, provided
that you maintain the following documents:
(i) Purchase order (PO) or any other written instruction from your

customer indicating that the goods are for the use/installation
on a ship and to be delivered to the named place;
The PO must indicate:
 the type and name of the vessel;
 the license number of the ship if the vessel is licensed by
the MPA (this is optional but you are strongly encouraged
to maintain this information where possible);
 the place of delivery of the goods as the named place so
as to facilitate subsequent delivery of the goods directly to
the ship.
(ii) Your invoice to your customer;
(iii) Evidence of payment received from your customer; and
(iv) Your delivery note (DN) or your customer’s DN must be

endorsed by the Master/Chief Engineer of the ship that the
goods delivered are for use/installation on the ship. The DN
must also show the date of receipt of goods.
In cases where you passed the goods to an independent party
(e.g. ship manager, launch agents or shipping companies) for
consolidation purposes for delivery to the ship, we understand
that you may have difficulty in obtaining the DN that is
endorsed by the Master/Chief Engineer of the ship. In such
instance, we are prepared to accept the DN that is endorsed
by the independent party and confirmation of receipt of goods
by the Master/Chief Engineer of the ship to the independent
party (where available) as an alternative to the DN that must
be endorsed by the Master/Chief Engineer.

19

For recreation and pleasure ships, you will need to also maintain
the following:
(v) For the supply of non-ship specific items such as water and

food provisions, your customer is required to undertake that
the goods are for consumption during international travel.
Zero-rating of such supplies should also be supported with a
port clearance certificate indicating that the ship is departing
from Singapore within one week from the date of delivery of
the goods.

20

Types of
goods/ship
All goods supplied
to ships (as defined
in paragraph 3.2)

Scenario and documentary requirements
Scenario 3 – Delivered to a shipyard for a ship under
construction in Singapore
You can zero-rate the supply of goods to be installed on a ship
under construction in Singapore notwithstanding that there is no
Master of ship prior to commissioning. This is provided that you
deliver the goods directly to the shipyard as instructed by your
customer and you maintain the following documents:
(i) Contract signed with or purchase order (PO) from your
customer to supply the goods. The contract or PO should
reflect the hull number of the ship under construction (where
possible) and also indicate whether the ship under
construction would fall within the meaning of ship;
(ii) Your invoice to your customer;
(iii) Written instruction from your customer to deliver the goods
directly to a shipyard where the ship is being constructed;
(iv) Your delivery note (DN) endorsed by the shipyard. The DN
should also indicate the date of receipt of goods. Alternatively,
you can maintain a copy of your customer’s DN endorsed by
the shipyard provided that it can be clearly identified from your
customer’s DN that the goods delivered were supplied by you.
For instance, the description of the goods delivered and hull
number indicated on your customer’s DN matches the
information on your own invoice or the contract or PO with
your customer;
(v) Evidence of payment received from your customer; and
(vi) If the equipment requires classification, you must maintain the
class certificate.
You no longer need to produce evidence that the goods are
physically installed on board the ship.

21

Types of
goods/ship

Scenario and documentary requirements

All goods supplied
to ships (as defined
in paragraph 3.2)

Scenario 4 – Goods are sold and delivered directly to
shipyard in Singapore
You can zero-rate the supply of goods to be used or installed on a
ship in Singapore where the goods are supplied to a shipyard and
delivered directly to the shipyard in Singapore, provided that you
maintain the following documents:
(i) Work order or purchase order (PO) issued by shipyard to
supply the goods. The work order or PO should indicate
whether the goods are for use/installation on a ship;
(ii) Your delivery note (DN) endorsed by shipyard. The DN should
indicate the date of receipt of goods;
(iii) Your invoice to the shipyard;
(iv) Evidence of payment received from shipyard;
(v) If the equipment requires classification, you must maintain the
class certificate.
You no longer need to produce evidence that the goods are
physically installed on board the ship.

22

Types of goods/ship

Scenario and documentary requirements

All goods supplied to
ships (as defined in
paragraph 3.2)

Scenario 5 – Goods are sold to a 3rd party contractor (your
customer) but delivered directly to shipyard in Singapore
You can zero-rate the supply of goods to be used or installed on a
ship in Singapore where the goods are supplied to 3rd party
contractor (your customer) but delivered directly to shipyard in
Singapore provided that you maintain the following documents:
(i) Contract signed with or purchase order (PO) from your

customer to supply the goods. The contract or PO should
indicate the shipyard as the place of delivery of the goods. The
document should indicate whether the goods are for
use/installation on a ship;
(ii) Your delivery note (DN) endorsed by the shipyard. The DN

should indicate the date of receipt of goods. Alternatively, you
can maintain a copy of your customer’s DN endorsed by the
shipyard provided that it can be clearly identified from your
customer’s DN that the goods delivered were supplied by you.
For instance, the description of the goods delivered and ship
name indicated on your customer’s DN matches the
information on your own invoice or the contract or PO with
your customer;
(iii) Your invoice to your customer;
(iv) Evidence of payment received from your customer; and
(v) If the equipment requires classification, you must maintain the

class certificate.
You no longer need to produce evidence that the goods are
physically installed on board the ship.

23



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