Tongkang, which means “bumboat” or “lighter” in Malay, is also known as the timber tongkang. It was built only in Singapore, as well as Kota Tinggi and Mersing in southeast Johore.13 Also spelt as tongkan and tonkang, these beamy and unwieldy boats are usually sailed with caution at low speed.14 Operated by Chinese Hokkiens and Indians, these boats plied mainly inter-island as they are bigger in size. Before bridges were built across the Singapore River, the large tongkang could enter Boat Quay to load and unload goods. However, when bridges were built, the decks were too low for the tongkang to pass beneath. Consequently, these lighters had to moor at the Kallang and Rochor rivers, or the city waterfront.15