Singapore named Best Seaport in Asia for 27th time

SINGAPORE — The Port of Singapore — which refers to all the container terminals and facilities here — has been named the Best Seaport in Asia for the 27th time at the 2015 Asia Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Awards (AFLAS).

The award, given out in Hong Kong yesterday (June 24), is determined by votes cast by readers of Asia Cargo News. Singapore beat Hong Kong and Shanghai to clinch the title.

Commenting on the win in a statement today, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the Port of Singapore was recognised “for its leading performance on a range of criteria, including cost competitiveness, container shipping-friendly fee regime, provision of suitable container shipping-related infrastructure, timely and adequate investment in new infrastructure to meet future demand and the facilitation of ancillary services”.

“We appreciate the recognition that we have received over the years and thank our partners and customers for their strong vote of confidence,” said MPA Chief Executive Andrew Tan.

“We will continue to work closely with all our stakeholders to strengthen our competitiveness as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre.

“Singapore will also continue to plan and invest ahead, such as our commissioning of Pasir Panjang Terminal Phases 3 and 4 this week which will increase the overall capacity of Singapore’s port to 50 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) when fully operational.”

Last year, annual vessel arrival tonnage in Singapore reached 2.37 billion gross tonnes, with total cargo tonnage handled at 580.8 million tonnes.

The total volume of bunkers sold in the Port of Singapore remains the highest in the world, at 42.4 million tonnes, and the total tonnage of ships under the Singapore Registry of Ships was 82.2 million gross tonnes, putting Singapore among the top 10 ship registries in the world.

By the end of 2017, the Port of Singapore is expected to be able to handle a total of 50 million TEUs of containers annually, up from 33.9 million TEUs last year. RAYMOND THAM