Singapore plans to speed up the opening of berths in the new megaport in the city-state’s Tuas industrial estate to cater to the growing number of boxship calls.
Besides the eight existing berths on the north side of Tuas Port, terminal operator PSA will expedite the opening of three new berths later this year to increase overall port handling capacity.
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and terminal operator PSA are working closely with liner operators and regional feeder operators to update them on their berth availability and advise them on arrival times to minimise delays in berthing.
By the 2040s, all of Singapore’s container port operations will be consolidated in Tuas, with annual throughput estimated at 65 million TEUs.
Alphaliner noted that the south side of Tuas Port received its first cranes in March and some 1,000 metres of pier with eight cranes should be ready very soon.
In May, when congestion was at its peak, the new pier did not handle any vessels yet, except for Hapag-Lloyd’s latest 24,000 TEU ship, Singapore Express, which was christened at the berth without loading or discharging any cargo.
This week, however, Alphaliner registered the first calls at the South Side of Tuas 1, primarily from smaller vessels such as the 2,732 TEU MSC Tania, handled in mid-June.
From January to May, container ship calls in Singapore have increased by 13% year-on-year. In January, close to 2,000 boxships arrived in Singapore.
The MPA has acted to bring down the bottlenecks by reopening the shuttered Keppel Terminal, helping to increase weekly throughput from 770,000 TEUs to 820,000 TEUs.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
