Singapore reopens disused container terminals to ease port congestion

Previously closed container terminals in Singapore’s city centre have been temporarily reopened to ease a backlog of ships loading and unloading cargo at the world’s second-largest port.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on May 30 that operations at the city-centre’s shuttered container terminals have been temporarily reopened to ease the backlog of ships loading and unloading cargo at the world’s second-largest port.

“We have seen a sharp increase in container volumes and high container vessel arrivals in the previous months due to supply chain disruptions in upstream locations,” MPA said.

Singapore handled 13.36 million TEUs from January to April, up nearly 9% from the same period last year.

The increased number of unscheduled container vessel arrivals and increased container volumes have led to longer waiting times for container vessels. While most container vessels berth upon arrival, port operator PSA has been working with shipping lines to adjust their arrival schedules where feasible, and where this is not feasible, MPA said the average waiting time for container vessels is about two to three days. However, other industry estimates suggest that vessels are waiting up to five days to berth.

The increased demand for container handling in Singapore is a result of some container shipping lines unloading more containers in Singapore. The number of containers handled per vessel has also increased.

MPA continued, “In addition to these demands, container shipping lines are also leveraging PSA’s cargo handling capabilities to help manage the stowage of containers on vessels to facilitate rapid unloading for their next calls. This is a sign of the confidence that container shipping lines have in our ports.”

Since late 2023, when the Red Sea crisis forced vessels to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, MPA and Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) have been working with PSA to prepare for more vessel arrivals.

With the reopening of the previously decommissioned Keppel Port, PSA will be able to increase the number of containers handled weekly from 770,000 TEUs to a total of 820,000 TEUs currently.

In addition to the eight existing terminals at Tuas Port, three new terminals will be operational by the end of this year. This will increase the overall handling capacity of the port.

PSA plans to expedite the commissioning of these new terminals to help increase the overall container handling capacity in the coming period. MPA and PSA are working closely with long-haul operators and regional feeder operators to update them on berth availability and advise them on arrival times to minimize berth delays.

Source: Phaata.com (According to ContainerNews)