SINGAPORE Law and Practice Contributed by: Mathiew Christophe Rajoo, Probin Dass and Tan Hui Tsing, DennisMathiew
9.4 International Conflict The Singapore-flagged oil tanker MTM “Rio Grande” had been stranded in the port of Mykolaiv when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, likely causing supply chain disruptions and crew issues. The war in Ukraine has also given rise to frustration of con - tracts resulting from sanctions imposed by Singapore against Russian entities and certain trades, as well as actual hostilities between Ukraine and Russia. These cases have largely been arbitrated. Meanwhile, the Singapore-flagged vessels “Propel Fortune” and “Maersk Hangzhou” were among those subject to Houthi attacks. As at end 2025, vessels are once again crossing the Suez Canal, a sign that disruptions linked to the Gaza war could be easing. 10. Additional Maritime or Shipping Issues 10.1 Other Jurisdiction-Specific Shipping and Maritime Issues The working language in Singapore is English, and while oral evidence may be adduced in a foreign lan - guage in court (subject to interpretation at a hearing in court), all documents submitted in the course of litiga - tion in Singapore need to be translated into English by a certified translator for use in court.
• Sudan; and • Syria.
Specific measures have also been imposed on Rus - sia under the Strategic Goods (Control) Order 2021 to constrain Russia’s capacity to conduct its war in Ukraine and cyber aggression. All items under the Mil - itary Goods List are prohibited for export to Russia, as well as certain items in Category 3 (Electronics), Cat - egory 4 (Computers) and Category 5 (Telecommunica - tions and Information Security). There are also finan - cial measures targeted at designated Russian banks, entities and activities in Russia and fund-raising activi - ties benefiting the Russian government. The primary authority responsible for enforcing Singa - pore’s trade sanctions is Singapore Customs, which has wide investigation powers under the Regulation of Imports and Exports Act 1995 (RIEA), including the power to: • compel an importer/exporter or their agent to pro - • examine any package, box, chest or other article in Singapore where a reasonable suspicion exists that it is being imported/exported contrary to Singa - pore’s trade sanctions, and to remove the article to a police station or examination station if more convenient; and • arrest without warrant any person where there is reasonable suspicion that the person has commit - ted an offence under the RIEA (including failure to comply with Singapore’s trade sanctions) – and search the person and seize articles as evidence. duce trade documents on demand; • search vessels, aircraft and vehicles;
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