Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race
Friday 9 January, 2009 04:00 GMT
At any one time, there are more than 1,000 container ships, tankers and cargo ships anchored up in the vicinity of the world's largest port.
Some have been there for weeks under arrest due to unpaid bills or waiting for documentation to be in order before they load or unload their cargo or are simply casualties of the worsening global recession.
To create the in port race course, which measures two miles long and approximately 1.6 miles wide, a total of 26 ships have been moved to secondary eastern anchorages or to other parts of the port.
This may not seem like much, but some are around 300m long while others have been static for long periods with rusty engines and sticky bow thrusters.
A port marine notice was sent out by the local port authority prohibiting all vessels from entering, anchoring, mooring, transiting or being in the area that has been marked out for two days of in port racing and the restart on January 18.
Mariners have also been warned to maintain a proper lookout, proceed at a safe speed, navigate with caution when in the vicinity' and maintain a listening watch on VHF Channel 12.
Racing starts at 13:00 local time (05:00 GMT) with a windward leeward race course set in the direction of the wind. Two races are scheduled, each comprising two laps, all of which will be easily seen from the beach on the east shore. For those not in Singapore, the races will be streamed in video on www.volvooceanrace.tv and audio (English and Spanish) on www.volvooceanrace.org.
See the race track and read more about the UBS Challenge for the In-Port Race in the Volvo Ocean Race here.
- Kate Laven
Related Links In Port Race Course Information (PDF 161kb) In Port Race Crew List (PDF 80kb)