Singapore Strait can handle 75% growth in traffic

Straits Times 29 Oct 09;

A STUDY has found that the busy and narrow Strait of Singapore can safely take a 75 per cent increase in shipping traffic without needing any changes to its infrastructure or operations.

But should the volume of traffic double, as it is expected to by 2024, it will take vessels an extra hour - eight hours instead of seven - to get through the waterway. It will also become less safe.

This was one of the preliminary findings of the six-month study which the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) completed last month.

It assessed the potential impact of the doubling of vessel traffic on travelling time and safety in the Strait of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca north of it.

In 2007, there were 257,000 vessel movements through the strait, which washes Singapore's southern shore.

The study noted the waterway's numerous anchorages and pilot boarding points, and that its narrowest point, 2.2km wide, lay south of St John's island.

MPA's group director for policy and planning Yee Cheok Hong said of the first-of-its-kind study here: 'It will give us a clear and accurate picture of the carriage capacity and enable us to enhance capacity while maintaining safety.'

Safety in the maritime world is sometimes measured by the number of 'interactions', that is, the number of manoeuvres or adjustments a vessel has to make every 10 nautical miles.

At the moment, vessels have one interaction over that distance in the strait. If shipping traffic doubles, the number of interactions will go up to 15.

'These projections are still acceptable but we will look at how we can improve these numbers,' said Mr Yee, noting that collisions in the strait happened mostly due to human error, not congestion.

Industry players - including shipping lines, shipping associations and academics - voiced concern when they were presented the findings yesterday.

Shipping line APL's vice-president of technical services Tey Yoh Huat said vessels plying the strait are getting larger and this needs to be factored into the equation.

MPA said it would note their concerns as it continues with the rest of the study, which will examine how navigational safety in the strait can be improved through physical, operational and technological adjustments.

Malacca, Singapore straits can handle rise in vessel traffic
Singapore Strait traffic could be boosted by at least 75%: study
Vincent Wee, Business Times 29 Oct 09;

(SINGAPORE) The critical straits of Malacca and Singapore have sufficient capacity to handle the projected increase in vessel traffic for the next 15-20 years, a study commissioned by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has found.

The preliminary finding from the straits of Malacca and Singapore capacity study done by SimPlus showed that there is still substantial room for vessel traffic growth in the straits without affecting either efficiency or navigational safety.

The study used a computer simulation model and, based on 2007 data of 257,000 ship movements a year in the Singapore Strait, found that a doubling of vessel traffic movements would increase transit time by 13 per cent and raise the number of interactions by 15 times through the Singapore sector of the straits, which is the busiest part.

MPA said that the current traffic level in the Singapore Strait could be increased by at least 75 per cent based on the safety and efficiency indicators, assuming that the existing processes and operations remain unchanged and there are no advances in technology. The capacity of the straits can be expected to be further enhanced over time with improved traffic management measures and technological advances, MPA added.

The second phase of the study will examine possible measures that can enhance the carriage capacity of the Singapore Strait while at the same time maintaining navigational safety. These include electronic navigation and the Marine Electronic Highway (MEH).

The Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) that runs along the straits of Malacca and Singapore, between One Fathom Bank off Port Klang in the west and Horsburgh Lighthouse in the east, is about 250 nautical miles long.

The narrowest point in the TSS, along which international shipping travels through the straits, lies just south of St John's Island within the Singapore Strait and measures 530m westbound, 1,617m eastbound and 2,150m overall in width.

The study also found that there would be minimal impact in the Strait of Malacca sector of the TSS from a doubling of traffic. Since the biggest gains can be made in improving the Singapore sector as it has the narrowest point in the whole system, efforts will be focused on this area.

'As part of our long-term planning, MPA regularly conducts studies on various maritime issues and trends. In line with this, we felt it was timely to conduct a study of the traffic levels and utilisation, including the potential carriage capacity, of the straits of Malacca and Singapore. A clear and accurate picture of the carriage capacity of the straits of Malacca and Singapore will allow MPA to work with the littoral states as well as other interested stakeholders to identify strategies to enhance capacity while maintaining navigational safety,' said MPA policy and planning group director Yee Cheok Hong.

Concerns were, however, raised about the assumptions about acceptable levels of interactions and types of vessels using the TSS. Intertanko Asia-Pacific regional manager Tim Wilkins highlighted the fact that even the five interactions per 10 nautical miles deemed as acceptable by the MPA might not be considered so by mariners.

Meanwhile, APL technical services vice-president Tey Yoh Huat questioned whether in order to enhance performance of the TSS, it needs to be revamped in the first place to take into account the difference between newer, bigger deeply laden vessels with draft and manoeuvrability constraints and smaller vessels.

The findings were shared with MPA's counterparts in Indonesia and Malaysia at a meeting in Singapore earlier this month, which was also attended by a number of user states and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Singapore has also offered to work with the two states through the Tripartite Technical Experts Group and, where appropriate, the Co-operative Mechanism, as well as the IMO on further aspects of the study, in particular, traffic management measures.

Sufficient capacity in Singapore Strait to handle growth in traffic: MPA
Channel NewsAsia 28 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE: A study commissioned by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the Singapore Strait has sufficient capacity to handle growth in maritime traffic.

All things being equal, the current traffic level in the strait could be increased by at least 75 per cent without comprising safety and efficiency.

The finding from the Straits of Malacca and Singapore capacity study was presented to the shipping industry on Wednesday.

MPA shared the finding with their counterparts in Indonesia and Malaysia earlier this month.

The second phase of the study will examine possible measures that can enhance the capacity of the Singapore Strait while at the same time maintaining navigational safety.

The waterway is used for international navigation and supports the bulk of the maritime trade between Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. - CNA/vm

Safer Strait transit
Marcus Hand, Llyods List 28 Oct 09;

WITH growing concerns over congestion in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the Singapore authorities have come out and said traffic could grow by 75% in the Singapore Strait under current systems.

These conclusions are somewhat at odds with a Maritime Institute of Malaysia study, which found the Malacca Strait — which is wider and connects into the Singapore Strait — would reach capacity 2024.

Whichever is the case there can be no doubt these key sealanes are set to get ever busier as a result of the growth of Asian trade.

While technically the number of vessels transiting the two straits may remain at a safe level it will undoubtedly become more difficult for mariners, with more vessels meaning more incidents to be avoided. More incidents to be avoided will translate into a greater chance for human error – the main cause of marine accidents.

At present movements in the strait are co-ordinated by vessel traffic information systems, which advise ships on the courses they should take. But at the end of the day these systems are just advisory and the coastal authorities have no responsibility should something go wrong.

Maybe as traffic volumes do grow it is time for this system to change and become more mandatory in nature, much like air traffic control. No system will ever completely eliminate problems but by providing greater structure at key choke points it could help to cut down the number of incidents and near misses.

WORKING PAPER FOR “CARRIAGE CAPACITY OF THE STRAITS OF MALACCA AND SINGAPORE”
Full paper by SimPlus Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Commissioned by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on the SG Press Centre website.

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