Channel NewsAsia 16 Jan 15;
SINGAPORE: The Port of Singapore continued solid growth in 2014, according to Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew, who announced the advance estimates of the Republic's 2014 port performance.
Annual vessel arrival tonnage reached a high of 2.37 billion gross tonnes (GT) in 2014 - a 1.9 per cent increase over the 2.33 billion GT in 2013. It is also the highest in the 2010-2014 period, according to a press release by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Friday (Jan 16).
Container ships and tankers were the top contributors, with each accounting for around 30 per cent of total vessel arrival tonnage, the advance estimates showed.
As for bunker sales, Singapore remained the world's top bunkering port last year, the press release stated. The total volume of bunkers sold in the Port of Singapore was 42.4 million tonnes, a slight dip compared to 42.7 million tonnes in 2013.
Container and Cargo Throughput and Singapore Registry of Ships showed positive performance last year too. MPA said container throughput hit 33.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2014, rising 4 per cent from 2013's 32.6 million TEUs, while total cargo tonnage handled in 2014 also rose 3.5 per cent year-on-year to reach 580.8 million tonnes.
The total tonnage of ships under MPA's register also grew by 11.7 per cent year-on-year, or 8.6 million GT, to 82.2 million GT. This consolidates Singapore's position as one of the top 10 ship registries in the world.
Singapore is home to more than 130 international shipping groups and a total of 5,000 maritime establishments. The maritime cluster employs more than 170,000 people and contributes about 7 per cent to Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), MPA stated.
ENHANCING SINGAPORE'S COMPETITIVENESS
Looking forward, Mr Lui said the Government remains committed to grow Singapore's maritime industry as a key driver of the economy.
The investment in port infrastructure is one example of this commitment, so the port can provide good connectivity and service levels. Work on Phase 3 and 4 of Pasir Panjang Terminal (PPT) is "on schedule", and the first two berths at PPT 3 started operations from the middle of 2014, the Transport Minister said.
He added that the reclamation works at Tuas will be underway this year and MPA will continue to work with stakeholders to test-bed new technologies for the port terminal.
Mr Lui also said it is "critical" to continually grow the maritime talent pool to support the sector. He cited the inaugural Maritime Career Fair organised last year as an example of such efforts, with more than 300 jobs offered during the fair.
"As Singapore celebrates its 50th birthday this year, we can take pride in the progress we have made since our beginnings as an entrepot. The success of Maritime Singapore would not have been possible without this close partnership between the Government, industry and the unions. We must build on this partnership to enable Maritime Singapore to scale greater heights," said Mr Lui.
- CNA/el/ac
