Port of Singapore Totally Explained

Everything about The Port Of Singapore totally explained

The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Singapore's harbours and which handle Singapore's shipping. Currently the world's busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage, it also handles a quarter of the world's shipping containers as the world's busiest container port, half of the world's annual supply of crude oil, and is the world's busiest transshipment port. It was also the busiest port in terms of total cargo tonnage handled until 2005, when it was surpassed by Shanghai. Thousands of ships drop anchor in the harbour, connecting the port to over 600 other ports in 123 countries and spread over six continents.
   The Port of Singapore isn't a mere economic boon, but an economic necessity due to the fact that Singapore is lacking in land and natural resources. The Port is critical for importing natural resources, and then later re-exporting them after they've been refined and shaped in some manner, for example wafer fabrication or oil refining to generate revenue. Only then can the service industry such as hospitality services typical of a, for example, restocking a ship's food and water supplies, take their role. The Straits of Johor is currently impassable by all ships as the Johor-Singapore Causeway links Singapore to Malaysia.
   The port was documented in a MegaStructures programme of the National Geographic Channel called "World's Busiest Port".

History

Before 1819

In the late 13th century, a settlement known as Singapore was established on the north bank of the Singapore River around what was called the Old Harbour. It was the only port in the southern part of the Strait of Malacca and serviced ships and traders in the region, competing with other ports along the coast of the Malacca Strait such as Jambi, Kota Cina, Lambri, Semudra, Palembang, South Kedah and Tamiang. The port had two functions. First, it made available products that were in demand by international markets; according to the Daoyu Zhilüe (Brief Annals of Foreign Islands, 1349) by Chinese trader Wang Dayuan (born 1311, fl. 1328–1339), these included top-quality hornbill casques, lakawood and cotton. Although these goods were also available from other Southeast Asian ports, those from Singapore were unique in terms of their quality. Secondly, Singapore acted as a gateway into the regional and international economic system for its immediate region. South Johor and the Riau Archipelago supplied products to Singapore for export elsewhere, while Singapore was the main source of foreign products to the region. Archaeological artefacts such as ceramics and glassware found in the Riau Archipelago evidence this. In addition, cotton was transshipped from Java or India through Singapore.
By the 15th century, although Singapore had declined as an international trading port due to the ascendance of the Malacca Sultanate, such trade continued on the island. A map of Singapore by Portuguese mathematician Manuel Gordinho d'Eredia showed the location of the office of a shabandar, the Malay official responsible for international trade, and shards of 15th-century Siam ceramics and late 16th - or early 17th-century Chinese blue and white porcelain have been found at the Singapore and Kallang Rivers. Singapore also provided other regional ports with local products demanded by international markets. For instance, blackwood (a generic term used by Europeans to refer to rosewood) was exported from Singapore to Malacca, and was in turn purchased by Chinese traders and shipped to China for furniture-making. In the early 17th century, Singapore's main settlement and its port were destroyed by a punitive force from Aceh. After this, there was no significant settlement or port at Singapore until 1819 when Sir Stamford Raffles, excited by the deep and sheltered waters in Keppel Harbour, established for Britain a new settlement and international port on the island.
Singapore is ranked first globally in 2005 in terms of containerised traffic, with 23.2 million Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) handled. High growth in containerised traffic has seen the port overtaking Hong Kong since the first quarter of 2005, and has led the race ever since, with an estimated 19,335 TEUs handled in the year up to October, compared to 18,640 TEUs handled in Hong Kong in the same period. A rise in regional traffic consolidating the port's position in Southeast Asia, and increases in transshipment traffic using the strategic East Asia-Europe route via Singapore helped the port to emerge tops at the end of the year, a title it hadn't held since overtaking Hong Kong once in 1998.

Operators

PSA Singapore's container facilities are as follows:

Container berths: 44
Quay length: 12,800 m
Area: 436 hectares
Max draft: 16 m
Quay cranes: 143
Designed capacity: 24,700 kTEU

PSA Singapore has 13 berths which are part of the Pasir Panjang Container Terminal's Phase Two which are due for completion by 2009. Phase Three and Four will add another 16 berths and are expected to be completed by 2013.
Jurong Port's facilities are as follows:

Berths: 23

Berth length: 4,545 m

Maximum vessel draft: 16 m

Maximum vessel size:

Area: 1.2 km² Free Trade Zone, 320,000 m² non-Free Trade Zone

Warehouse facilities: 280,000 m²

Terminals

Port	perator	ype	erths	uay length	uay cranes	rea (Ha)	apacity (kTEU)
Brani (BT)	PSA	Container	9	2,629	29	79
Cosco-PSA (CPT)	Cosco/PSA	Container	2	720 m		22.8	>1,000
Jurong	JTC	Multi-Purpose	23	4,547		152
Keppel (KT)	PSA	Container	14	3,220	37	96
Pasir Panjang (PPT) Phase 1	PSA	Container	6	1,885	19	71
Pasir Panjang (PPT) Phase 2A	PSA	Container	4	1,700	19	63	>4,000
Pasir Panjang (PPT) Phase 2B	PSA	Container	4 (1 under construction)	1,246	16	56	2,800
Pasir Panjang (PPT) Phase 2C	PSA	Container	7 (under construction)				5,600
Pasir Panjang (PPT) Phase 2D	PSA	Container	5 (under construction)
Pasir Panjang (PPT) Phase 3	PSA	Container
Pasir Panjang (PPT) Phase 4	PSA	Container
Pasir Panjang Wharves	PSA	General
Sembawang	PSA	General
Tanjong Pagar (TPT)	PSA	Container	8	2,320	27	80

Further Information

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