THE PORT OF SINGAPORE

"For several years now, Singapore has been the World's Busiest Port in terms of shipping tonnage. Our port contributes 5 % to our Gross Domestic Product, by no means a small contribution."

- Minister for Communications, Mr. Mah Bow Tan at the Launch of MPA (23 April 96)

The Port of Singapore has played a critical role in the Republic's transformation into a global trading power. Its strategic geographical location is one of the crucial factors that have made Singapore into the global hub for shipping that it is today.

The port's location at the crossroads of the main shipping routes has facilitated the Republic's development into a principal centre for shipping activities in Southeast Asia. It is a focal point for some 400 shipping lines linking Singapore to more than 700 ports in 130 countries worldwide. There are about 1,000 ships in the port at any one time.

These ships can look forward to a variety of services, including cargo handling, warehousing, distribution, bunkering and ship supplies. Where necessary, the port also provides pilots and tugs to ships who may not be familiar with Singapore's waterways. The Port also provides round the clock security, environmental control and fire-fighting services at its six terminals at Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, Brani, Pasir Panjang, Sembawang and Jurong. These terminals can accommodate all types of vessels - container ships, bulk carriers, cargo freighters, coasters and lighters.

Depending on their cargo, these vessels will either call at the oil terminals run by the petroleum companies or the terminals managed by the PSA Corporation Limited and the Jurong Port. PSA Corporation operates the terminals at Brani, Keppel, Pasir Panjang, Sembawang and Tanjong Pagar, which deal in container and conventional cargo. It also runs the Singapore Cruise Centre, the cruise hub of the Asia Pacific for passenger liners as well as regional and domestic ferries. Jurong Port, which handles conventional and bulk cargo, comes under the purview of the Jurong Town Corporation (JTC). The Port of Singapore is overseen by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), which acts as the sole regulatory body for the Republic's port and maritime affairs.

For more information, please visit http://www.psa.com.sg

TOTAL CONTAINER THROUGHPUT (in '000 TEUs)

ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS

The efficiency with which port operations are carried out has enabled the Republic to maintain its reputation as the World's Busiest Port in terms of shipping tonnage - a laurel the Republic has carried proudly since 1986. There were 146,265 vessel calls with a shipping tonnage of 960.1 million gross tons in 2001, up 5.5 percent from 2000. 

Singapore has also been the World's leading bunkering port, providing value-for-money, reliable and efficient bunkering services since 1988. In 2001, the port supplied a new record of 20.4 million tonnes of bunkers. Suppliers of bunker are required to comply with the Code of Practice for Bunkering (CP60:1996). The CP60:1996 is a Singapore National Standard Code. It governs the practices of bunker suppliers and bunker craft operators here so as to ensure the reliability of the quality and quantity of bunkers supplied. The Code is widely accepted by the local and international community, and is being used by ISO as a base document to develop an ISO Technical Report for Bunkering. 

The total seaborne cargo handled by the Port of Singapore (including mineral oil-in-bulk) was 313.3 million tonnes in 2001. The number of containers handled in the same year was 15.6 million TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units) - making the Republic one of the world's busiest container ports. 

The Republic is also the third largest oil refining centre in the world, with more than 5 major oil companies (Shell, Esso, Caltex, BP and ExxonMobil) operating here. These companies have a combined refining capacity of over one million barrels daily.