Singapore has set a new record of over 3bn gross tonnes in annual vessel arrivals so far in 2023, the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) has confirmed.
The record was set following the arrival of Ocean Network Express’ 8,628-teu ONE Olympus (built 2008) on Christmas day at the city state’s Pasi Panjang Terminal.
Singapore reached the 1bn gross tonne mark in 2004 and it was another seven years before it reached the 2bn gross tonne mark.
Singapore’s acting minister for transport Chee Hong Tat said the most important success factor, which enabled this new record, was the strong tripartite cooperation which existed between the unions, industry, and government.
“Other people may try to copy our hardware and infrastructure, they may even try to follow our technologies and operating systems. We cannot avoid that,” he said.
“But many find it difficult to replicate our trusted tripartite ecosystem in Singapore. This is therefore one of the key elements which gives us an edge to stay ahead of the competition.”
Chee said the ship’s arrival was also an “especially significant” event given the choppy waters that Singapore has had to navigate over the last few years.
“Besides the industry downturn in 2016, more recent challenges include supply chain disruptions when Covid-19 struck and now, slowdowns in production and consumption amidst elevated inflation as we emerge from the pandemic,” he said.
“Rising geopolitical tensions around the world and military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and between Israel and Hamas which have spilled over to the Red Sea and affected ships sailing through the Suez Canal, have added to economic uncertainty and instability.”
Chee said the MPA was carefully monitoring these developments and keeping in close contact with its partners and stakeholders, to see how they can work together to mitigate the disruptions.
Elsewhere, work on Singapore’s “next generation” Tuas mega port is continuing with three more berths becoming operational in 2023, taking the total number to eight.
Reclamation work on Tuas port’s second phase is 70% complete, said Chee, with “good progress” being made on reclamation plans for the third phase.
Tuas port is being developed in four phases and will reportedly be the world’s largest fully automated container terminal when fully completed in the 2040s.
