The number of container ships waiting to dock in Singapore has surged since May, causing congestion at the port. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore recently said that this was mainly because of the Red Sea crisis, which caused a large number of ships to divert to the Cape of Good Hope, disrupting the arrival schedule of ships in major ports around the world, resulting in a "ship aggregation" effect.

    The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore also said there has been a significant increase in vessels arriving in Singapore since the beginning of 2024. The replenishment and refueling activities of tankers and bulk carriers are carried out within the berthing area and these activities are not affected. For container ships, the number of containers increased significantly in the previous months due to supply chain disruptions in the upstream region, and container ships arrived "in droves." The increase in demand for container handling in Singapore is due to the fact that several large container companies have abandoned subsequent voyages in order to catch up with the next shipment schedule and unloaded more containers in Singapore. In addition, the number of containers handled per ship has also increased.

    The data shows that Singapore handled 16.9 million TEUs of containers in the first five months of 2024. Compared with the same period last year, container freight volume increased by 7.7%. The increase in container ships arriving late and the increase in the volume of containers handled in Singapore has resulted in ships waiting longer for container berths.

    To ease congestion, PSA said it has increased staffing and container-handling capacity, and reactivated old berths and docks at Keppel Terminal in Singapore that had been decommissioned. The number of containers that can be handled per week has increased from 770,000 TEUs to 820,000 TEUs. In addition to the eight existing berths at Tuas Port, three new berths will be commissioned later this year to enhance the port's overall handling capacity.

    At the same time, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and PSA Singapore are working closely with container shipping lines and regional feeder shipping lines to provide them with the latest berths status and advise them on arrival times to minimise delays.

    Singapore Pacific is the 12th largest container shipping company in the world and the largest in Southeast Asia. Cheung Songsheng, executive chairman of PIL, said that at present, many ports around the world are congested due to geopolitics, operational constraints, weather factors and other reasons, and Singapore, because it is at the intersection of East and West, has also experienced delays due to congestion. At present, PIL is working closely with PSA Singapore to deal with port congestion. Pil is also adjusting its own vessel arrival schedule to reduce the time it spends at Singapore's port. He believes that with the joint efforts of all stakeholders in Singapore, the congestion situation is gradually easing.

    In order to ensure the smooth operation of Singapore shipping, the Singapore government and shipping companies are also committed to the training of maritime talents. On June 7, Taiping Shipping Academy was established to provide systematic training for more than 8,000 employees and enhance their maritime vocational skills. Speaking at the launch of the Pacific Shipping Academy, Singapore's Transport Minister and Second Minister for Finance, Chee Fong Tat, said the Red Sea crisis had led to cargo ships having to queue up at many ports around the world. Ship arrivals, container handling and berthing demand at the port of Singapore have all increased significantly since the beginning of the year, with many vessels turning to the port after experiencing delays elsewhere.

    At a time when the global shipping industry is facing new challenges such as digitalisation and decarbonisation, Singapore Maritime must continue to upgrade and retrain its workforce to ensure that its employees can keep up with The Times and remain competitive. Singapore is committed to leveraging a strong tripartite partnership between the government, practitioners and unions to make Singapore a hub for global maritime talent development. The establishment of PIL Shipping Academy is also an important step towards Singapore Maritime's goal of developing a future workforce.

    At present, with the close cooperation of all parties in Singapore to further expand Singapore's container handling capacity, increase berths, and adjust the arrival time of ships, the congestion situation in Singapore's port will gradually improve.