B747-400 CAPTAIN REPORTS AMBIGUOUS ALTITUDE ASSIGNMENTS BETWEEN ATC CLEARANCES AND ASSIGNED SIDS AT WSSS.

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VMA3E SID (AS WELL AS MOST WSSS SID'S) CONTAIN A NOTE 5 'INITIAL DEP CLB ALT IS 3000 FT OR AS DIRECTED BY ATC.' OUR ATC CLRNC WAS 'CLRED HKG; VMA3E; FPR; FL400; SQUAWK XXXX.' COCKPIT DISCUSSION FOLLOWED WHETHER WE WERE LIMITED TO 3000 FT OR CLRED UNRESTR TO FL400. WE ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION AND ATC ADVISED WE WERE CLRED TO 3000 FT. 1) THE NOTE IS IN SMALL PRINT BURIED AMONG NUMEROUS OTHER NOTES AT TOP OF PAGE. 2) NO BOLD LETTER ALT LIMIT IS DEPICTED OF THE PLAN VIEW OF THE PAGES; UNLIKE MOST SID'S WITH AN INITIAL ALT LIMIT. 3) ATC CLRNC 'FL400' COULD BE INTERPED TO WAIVE THE 3000 FT LIMIT PER THE DEP NOTE 'OR AS DIRECTED BY ATC.' 4) WORDING BY CLRNC DELIVERY WAS 'FL400' NOT 'EXPECT FL400.' THE AMBIGUITY OF THE CLRNC AND THE WORDING AND SMALL TYPE OF THE ALT NOTE APPEARS TO BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR AN ALT BUST. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CAPTAIN ADVISED THE SID WAS THE MERSING THREE ECHO RNAV SID (VMR3E VICE VMA3E). ALSO NOTED THEY WERE PERPLEXED BY THE 'AT OR ABOVE' CROSSING RESTRICTIONS THAT WERE ABOVE THE 3000 FT ALT IMPOSED BY THE NOTE. THE DICHOTOMY WAS NOT AN ISSUE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE DEP BECAUSE THEY WERE IMMEDIATELY CLEARED TO A HIGHER ALT UPON CONTACTING DEP CTL. REPORTER DOES NOT FEEL THIS RESULT ADEQUATELY ADDRESSES THE AMBIGUITY OF THE PUBLISHED MATERIAL AND/OR THE ALT CLRNC PROVIDED BY CLRNC DELIVERY. ALSO CONCERNED THAT LANGUAGE BARRIER ISSUES COULD COMPOUND THE POTENTIAL FOR MISUNDERSTANDING.