Former Shell blending plant at Woodlands North to be demolished, a key part of Singapore’s modern rise – !

SINGAPORE – From certain vantage points along Woodlands Waterfront Promenade at the northernmost point of Singapore, towering green industrial tanks peek through gaps in the dense foliage. The same tangle of overgrown shrubbery separates Admiralty Road West – which faces Johor Bahru – from a roughly 5ha plot of land, or around the size of 12 football pitches, where an abandoned factory sits quietly behind lock and chain. Unassuming as it is now, the sprawling complex – known as the former Shell Woodlands North Lube Oil Blending Plant – was once a powerhouse of Singapore’s industrial boom in the 1960s. As someone who rarely visits Woodlands, except for the occasional leisure trip across the Causeway, the site was never on my radar. But an invitation from local tour operator Hidden Heritage Singapore to step beyond its chained gates changed that. Run by husband-and-wife duo Stanley Cheah, a heritage tour curator and content creator, and Amanda Cheong, a bank officer, the Industrial Relics and Wartime Secrets tour (3½ hours, $98 a person, str.sg/faXy) offers participants a look inside the plant, where much of energy giant Shell’s dated machinery remains. The tour includes a visit to the grounds of a former mental institution, View Road Hospital, and Singapore’s first and only refugee camp Hawkins Road Refugee Camp.Shell moved to Tuas and launched its new lubricants plant on Nov 1, 2017. Upgraded machines and tools at its new facility rendered the old ones obsolete, which is why most of the Woodlands North plant remains intact. The urban explorer couple say the opportunity to run the tour came unexpectedly. They had initially requested permission from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to hold their wedding at the abandoned Old Changi Hospital, but were rejected.Husband-and-wife duo Stanley Cheah (far right) and Amanda Cheong (second from right) run tours of the facility on weekends.ST PHOTO: TARYN NGInstead, SLA suggested the Woodlands North plant, which had been vacant for about six years then. The couple held their goth-themed wedding there in March 2023. They later requested to host tours of the factory and its surrounding areas, and SLA gave them the green light. Their company Hidden Heritage Singapore was born in August 2024. The National Archives of Singapore houses a decent selection of historical photographs of the factory, captioned with bite-size details. But beyond these fragments, much of the plant’s past is unknown. Curious about its significance to Singapore’s industrial history – and also its future – I decide the best way to find out is to spend a Saturday morning on a tour inside its forgotten walls.A powerhouse pastOpened in 1963 by then Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee, the factory was an integral part of Singapore’s strategic growth in the petrochemicals sector. It helped cement the nation’s role as a production and export hub for highly lucrative oil products, which contributed significantly to its gross domestic product.Back then, the plant’s machinery was considered state-of-the-art, producing more than 200 million litres of lubricants and greases annually. Today, with more advanced automation, the Tuas plant is capable of producing up to 430 million litres of similar products each year. But to the untrained eye, the old factory is a formidable maze of metal pipes emerging from the ground and disappearing into the ceiling, with gigantic steel vats in dimly lit corners caked in dust and grease. As the Woodlands North blending plant was built in the 1960s, most of the processes were still manual and highly labour-intensive.ST PHOTO: TARYN NGDuring the tour, Mr Cheah and Ms Cheong take turns painting pictures of what various parts of the factory might have looked like in its heyday, weaving in anecdotes from former workers. “Large empty drums would be sorted via conveyor belts, where employees would use stencils to physically label each drum before they were filled with oils or lubricants,” says Mr Cheah, as roughly 20 tour participants gather around.In a room on an upper floor, amid cobwebs and rows of metal file cabinets, two scuffed helmets labelled with employee names perch above switchboxes. “These are just some of the things left behind from the move,” says Ms Cheong, pointing to the curious sight that serves as a reminder of the life that once filled the now quiet factory. Despite the stories shared during the tour, I still had a number of questions. Huge oil tanks lined up at the now-defunct Shell lubricant plan.ST PHOTO: TARYN NGFor instance, what previously occupied the factory’s surrounds? How would the land be used in the future?To uncover more about its past, I turn to Mr Jerome Lim, 60, the heritage enthusiast behind The Long and Winding Road. The history blog delves into Singapore’s forgotten places. “Old maps tell a huge story,” says Mr Lim, a naval architect by training. “There used to be a naval base stretching from Sembawang Park up to where the Causeway is, close to the blending factory.” Before World War II, this vast naval base played a crucial role in Britain’s military ambitions. “Its purpose was to make Singapore the Gibraltar of the East,” he says. Machinery towards the end of the oil refining stages at the now-defunct Shell lubricant plant.ST PHOTO: TARYN NGGibraltar is a heavily fortified British air and naval base guarding the Strait of Gibraltar, which lies between southernmost Spain and north-westernmost Africa. It is the only entrance to the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean, according to online encyclopaedia Britannica, and has long been a symbol of British naval strength. After most of the British troops withdrew from Singapore in 1971, Malaysian naval forces continued using parts of the naval base until 1997. When it was completely vacated, the coastal land was redeveloped into leisure areas.The Shell blending plant sat just outside the naval base’s boundary and eventually inherited the advantages of existing infrastructure, such as a jetty – which Mr Lim believes is a remnant from the British era – that made it ideal for industrial expansion. With berthing facilities in place, a strategic position near the Causeway and access to the South China Sea, the site gave Shell a launchpad to supply its products seamlessly to Malaysia and beyond. That is how in its over 50 years of operations, the Shell Woodlands North Lube Oil Blending Plant has exported billions of litres of lubricants and greases to more than 30 countries. Only memories remainIt is Mr Zulkhairi Khalil’s helmet that sits on the switchbox collecting dust at the Woodlands North blending plant.Once a grease plant operator at the former Shell blending plant – his second job in his 11 years in the petrochemical sector – the 35-year-old Singaporean is now a grease supervisor at the Tuas factory.He says: “I was one of the last few to leave the factory during the move to Tuas. I had a lot of mixed feelings then and wanted to leave my mark.” Mr Zulkhairi Khalil was one of the last few to leave the factory and wanted to leave his mark.ST PHOTO: TARYN NGSome of his fondest memories of his time at the old plant include trading stories about the past with pioneer staff – many to do with supernatural happenings in the area. These are moments that Mr Zulkhairi knows cannot be replicated elsewhere as many of the older employees – now in their 60s, 70s and beyond – have since retired.Ms Chan Lai Fan, 57, who was part of the core team supporting the move to Tuas, agrees. She says that at 10ha, the new plant is much larger than the Woodlands North plant, making it harder to bump into other colleagues and have as many similar interactions as before. She has been working for Shell for 22 years. She started as a stock clerk in 2003 at the Woodlands North factory and is now a plant logistics coordinator at the newer facility.When the factory closed, it was the friendly chats and deep conversations in the canteen and corridors she kept closest to her heart. “There’s a sense of loss because we’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs together at the old plant. They are memories that won’t get erased so easily,” Ms Chan says.The Woodlands North landscape, where the former Shell Woodlands North Lube Oil Blending Plant sits, will see dramatic changes in the future.PHOTO: ST FILEThe factory is not the only piece of infrastructure set to disappear in the coming years. Nearby, a cluster of Housing Board blocks in Marsiling Crescent is slated for redevelopment. In 2022, residents of nine blocks – Blocks 210 to 218 in Marsiling Crescent and Marsiling Lane – were informed that their homes would be acquired by the state to make way for the Woodlands Checkpoint expansion. The acquisition affects 732 sold flats and 53 rental flats, one rental kiosk, six rental shops and one rental eating house.Hoping to hear first-hand stories from long-time residents, I post a request in The Old Marsiling Still Lives Facebook group. It garners over 30 comments from 15 users, of which I manage to speak with two. Technical officer Hairulnizam Hussein, 45, has lived at Block 214 Marsiling Crescent all his life. He still remembers the moment he received the SMS notifying him of the en bloc.“It was a surprise, but more because I couldn’t believe that the day finally came. Since the 1990s, residents here have heard rumours that our blocks would eventually have to go and now it’s really happening,” he says. Nine Housing Board blocks along Marsiling Crescent and Marsiling Lane will be acquired by the state for the Woodlands Checkpoint expansion plan.PHOTO: ST FILEMr Hairulnizam’s childhood memories include going to the water’s edge – just five minutes from his home – to fish, catch crabs and play catching with friends. The same goes for technical consultant Taufik Abdullah, 46, who lived at Block 212 for 18 years. He says the eccentricities of the locale – the traffic noise from the Causeway and the cacophony of birds from the nearby forests – have long been a part of his daily life and no longer irk him the way they used to. “A huge chunk of my life was spent in that area. After my mum passed away in 2022, the situation just got a lot sadder. It’s the reality that both my parents are no longer around, and our first HDB together is also going to disappear,” Mr Taufik says. Residents of the affected blocks will be given compensation, based on the market value of their flats, and other rehousing benefits. But beyond the practicalities, Mr Wayne Tang, director of client engagement at real estate firm PropertyLimBrothers, sees the biggest loss as something intangible.“What’s lost is the kampung spirit – the sense of community and familiarity. But at the same time, you don’t often see opportunities like these to upgrade to a new, fresh lease for a home that has improved amenities and accessibility,” he says. With the residential blocks due to be demolished in the coming years, residents like Mr Taufik Abdullah and Mr Hairulnizam Hussein reminisce their childhoods there. PHOTO: ST FILEWith HDB prices having risen by around 50 per cent between 2020 and 2025, according to his estimates, he adds that residents may view positively their upcoming move into the newer flats offered by the Government. When asked how he feels about vacating his home by 2028, Mr Hairulnizam says: “This opportunity to move can be a good thing. But if it had never happened, I wouldn’t have minded continuing to stay here too.”Facelift for the futureDuring the tour, speculation swirls about the factory’s fate – many believe it, too, will soon give way to the extensive Woodlands Checkpoint expansion plan, which has begun. To clarify its future and understand the potential impact of changes to the coastal area, I reach out to several local agencies, including the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and SLA. An ICA spokesperson confirms: “The old Shell refinery will be demolished for the redevelopment of Woodlands Checkpoint.” When asked about the significance of the land and the handover process of the factory to the state, SLA says: “The site of the former Shell lubricant blending plant in Woodlands was returned to the state when Shell relocated its plant to Tuas in 2017.”It adds that the use of old state properties for guided walks and educational tours is allowed upon request, depending on feasibility and availability, and cites Hidden Heritage Singapore as an example. Shell moved to Tuas and launched its new lubricants plant on Nov 1, 2017.ST PHOTO: TARYN NGWhile some lament the loss of yet another industrial relic, Dr Timothy Barnard, associate professor of history at the National University of Singapore, takes a pragmatic stance. “This is just a typical reconfiguration of land based on utilitarian principles. It has been happening for 200 years. Singapore is in a constant state of change.”Indeed, in this land-scarce nation, landscapes are perpetually reshaped to meet the demands of modern times. Long-term planning ensures that land use “remains relevant to meet the evolving needs and aspirations of our city and people as well as address trends in the larger environment such as economic and technological changes”, says an Urban Redevelopment Authority spokesperson.The expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint is part of this broader strategy. Designed to complement the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link – expected to begin service by end-2026 – redevelopment of the area aims to ease congestion at one of the busiest land border crossings in the world.The Causeway, which celebrated its centennial in June 2024, sees more than 300,000 people cross it daily. ICA projects that by 2050, the number will rise to 400,000 a day.When fully operational, the 4km-long RTS Link will accommodate up to 10,000 passengers an hour in either direction. The redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint will be around five times its current size and is set to become operational progressively from 2029.PHOTO: ST FILEThe redeveloped Woodlands Checkpoint – which will become operational progressively from 2029 – will be nearly five times its current 19ha size. It is expected to significantly improve traffic flow and accessibility between Singapore and Malaysia.Against the backdrop of these monumental history-making developments, the Shell Woodlands North Lube Oil Blending Plant, once a beacon of Singapore’s industrial ambitions, will soon fade from public memory. Dr Donna Brunero, a senior lecturer and deputy head of the NUS history department, says: “While industrial Singapore isn’t always seen as something that is heritage-worthy, there is still a case to be made that it is part of the story of early modern Singapore.”When it comes to saving old infrastructure, experts say the challenge typically lies in the balance between preserving heritage and pursuing progress.While the former Shell blending plant is no old National Library, Dr Brunero says it, too, tells a part of the Singapore story in its own unique way.She adds: “If you think about a shifting of the economy and a workforce that began to learn how to work within a factory setting, it completely changed people’s lives and lifestyles in many ways. Part of that history is lost with the removal of entire industrial landscapes.”According to Mr Cheah, employees at the former Shell blending plant in Woodlands North would peek through a broken window slat to monitor the traffic conditions of the Causeway. ST PHOTO: TARYN NGChanges to the Woodlands North facade may be coming even sooner. Hidden Heritage Singapore’s Mr Cheah says the tour will run only until end-June, as the state has “some plans for the compound from July onwards”.While the disappearance of the Shell blending plant may not stir up the same nostalgia as other lost landmarks, it reflects a familiar pattern, one in which the past is folded into the future. As always, once the dust has settled and newness rises in its place, only memories will remain, as the land quietly awaits its next transformation. Down The Rabbit Hole is a series in which reporters at The Straits Times chase down answers to niche questions and follow where their curiosity leads them.Sarah Stanley is a journalist at The Straits Times who covers travel, lifestyle and aviation.Join ST’s WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.