Some of the troops from the 42nd Singapore Armoured Regiment patrol the Jurong island complex aboard jeeps with mounted heavy machineguns, while others are posted to prevent unauthorised boats from approaching, the Straits Times reported.

A command post has also been set up on the man-made island to coordinate efforts with the navy and coast guard to secure the complex, which houses around 70 petrochemical businesses, including the refineries of global oil giants Shell and ExxonMobil.

A S$28-million (US$16 million) checkpoint equipped with x-ray scanners is expected to be in place by April next year.

Soldiers were deployed to Jurong in October last year following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States but were soon pulled out, although police continued to patrol.

Singapore has been on a heightened state of alert after the October 12 carbomb attack on the Indonesian resort island of Bali blamed on militants linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

Authorities in the city-state since last year have arrested 31 men for an alleged plot to blow up local and foreign targets here, including the US embassy.

MP Irene Ng, deputy chairman of the government parliamentary committee for defence and foreign affairs, told the newspaper that Singapore's armed forces were prepared for any threat, but noted that terrorists "have to get lucky only once" to inflict damage.

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