The Port of Singapore is a collection of facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade and handle Singapore's harbours and shipping. Since 2015, it has been ranked as the world's top maritime capital. Currently, it is ranked as the world's second-busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage, while also transshipping a fifth of the world's shipping containers, and half of the world's annual crude oil supplies, alongside being ranked as the world's busiest transshipment port. Furthermore, it was also ranked as the world's busiest port in terms of total cargo tonnage handled until 2010, when it was surpassed by the Port of Shanghai.
Due to the city-state's strategic location, Singapore has served as a significant entrepôt and trading post on an international level for at least two centuries. During the contemporary era, its ports have been regarded not merely as an economic boon for the country, but as vitally important for the country's economic development since Singapore lacks land and natural resources. Additionally, the port is regarded as particularly important for importing natural resources, and then later re-exporting products after they have been domestically refined and shaped in some manner, for example, wafer fabrication or oil refining to generate value-added revenue. The Port of Singapore is also the world's largest bunkering port. Moreover, the majority of ships that pass between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean go through the Singapore Strait. The Straits of Johor on the country's north are impassable for ships due to the Johor-Singapore Causeway, built in 1923, which links the town of Woodlands, Singapore, to the city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia.
History
Before 1819
thumb|upright=1.2|Xabandaria (the [[Shahbandar's place) marked in this 1604 map of Singapore by Godinho de Erédia. The map is orientated with the South towards the top left.]]
In the late 13th century, a Kingdom known as Singapura 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, servicing 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 Daoyi 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 regarded as 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 major source of foreign products that were imported to the region. Archaeological artefacts, such as ceramics and glassware, discovered in the Riau Archipelago confirm this. Additionally, cotton was transshipped from Java or India through Singapore.
In 1984, an archaeological excavation began at Fort Canning Hill, led by the archaeologist Dr John Miksic. Eventually, a wide range of artefacts, including earthenware, ceramic, and porcelain pieces, were discovered, serving as evidence of Singapore's role as an active international trading port in the 14th century.
By the 15th century, Singapore had declined as an international trading port due to the ascendance of the Malacca Sultanate. Local trade continued on the island. A map of Singapore by Portuguese mathematician Manuel Godinho de Eredia showed the location of Xabandaria or the office of a shahbandar, the Malay official responsible for international trade. 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 supplied 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 incident, there was no significant settlement or port at Singapore until 1819.
1819–1960
thumb|upright=1.2|Port at Singapore, ca. 1890
In 1819, Stamford Raffles, a British colonial official, excited by the deep and sheltered waters in Keppel Harbour, established for the British Empire a new settlement and international trading port on the island.
Since 2022
The Tuas mega port is projected to be the only port in Singapore after the PSA city terminals and Pasir Panjang Terminal are closed in 2027 and 2040, respectively, ending an era of port operations in the city area which began in 1819. It will also be able to cater to the demands of the world's largest container ships, with 26 km of deep-water berths. Besides just handling containers, the port will have space set aside for companies to be located, a move that aims to improve the links between the port and businesses. It is projected to be twice the size of Ang Mo Kio's new town. Eight more berths commenced service by February 2025, bringing the total number of operational berths to eleven. When completed in 2027, phase 1 of the mega port will have twenty-one berths.
In 2005, Singapore was ranked first globally 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 kTEUs handled in the year up to October, compared to 18,640 kTEUs 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, assisted the port to emerge at the top at the end of the year, a title it had not held since overtaking Hong Kong once in 1998.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Port of Singapore statistics
! Year
! Vessel Arrival Tonnage <br /> (billion GT)
! Container Throughput <br /> (million TEUs)
! Cargo Throughput <br /> (million tonnes)
! Bunker Sale Volume <br /> (million tonnes)
! Tonnage under Singapore Registry of Ships <br /> (million GT)
|-
| 2010
| 1.92
| 28.4
| 503.3
| 40.9
| 48.8
|-
| 2011
| 2.12
| 29.9
| 531.2
| 43.2
| 57.4
|-
| 2012
| 2.25
| 31.6
| 538.0
| 42.7
| 65.0
|-
| 2013
| 2.33
| 32.6
| 560.9
| 42.7
| 73.6
|-
| 2014
| 2.37
| 33.9
| 581.3
| 42.4
| 82.2
|-
| 2015
| 2.50
| 30.9
| 575.8
| 45.2
| 86.3
|-
| 2016
| 2.66
| 30.9
| 593.3
| 48.6
| 88.0
|-
| 2017
| 2.80
| 33.7
| 627.7
| 50.6
| 88.8
|-
| 2018
| 2.79
| 36.6
| 630.0
| 49.8
| 90.9
|-
| 2019
| 2.85
| 37.2
| 626.2
| 47.5
| 97.3
|-
| 2020
| 2.90
| 36.9
| 590.7
| 49.8
| 95.0
|-
| 2021
| 2.81
| 37.6
| 599.6
| 50.0
| 92.3
|-
| 2022
| 2.83
| 37.3
| 578.2
| 47.9
| 95.5
|-
| 2023
| 3.09
| 39.0
| 592.0
| 51.8
| 99.6
|-
| 2024
| 3.11
| 41.1
| 622.9
| 54.9
| 108.0
|}
Operators
thumb|right|Keppel Container Terminal in Singapore
PSA Singapore's container facilities are as follows:
- Container berths: 52
- Quay length: 15,500 m
- Area: 600 hectares
- Max draft: 16 m
- Quay cranes: 190
- Designed capacity: 35,000 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: 32
- Berth length: 5.6 km
- Maximum vessel draft: 15.7 m
- Maximum vessel size:
- Area: 127 Hectares Free Trade Zone, 28 Hectares non-Free Trade Zone
- Warehouse facilities: 178,000 m<sup>2</sup>
PSA Singapore also has a 40-year contract to operate the tax-free Gwadar Port on the southwestern coast of Pakistan. Gwadar started operation in March 2008, with 3 multi-purpose berths, a 602-meter quay, and 12.5-meter depth. Another 9 berths are under construction, with a 20-meter depth. In 2015, it was announced that the port would be leased to the Chinese till 2059 and further developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Terminals
thumb|upright=1|Tanjong Pagar container terminal by night (2009)
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Port || Operator || Type || Berths || Quay length (m) || Quay cranes || Area (Ha) || Capacity (kTEU)
|-
| Brani (BT)
| PSA
| rowspan="2" | Container
| 8
| 2,325
| 26
| 84
|
|-
| Cosco-PSA (CPT)
| Cosco/PSA
| 2
| 720
|
| 22.8
| >1,000
|-
| Jurong
| JTC
| Multi-Purpose
| 32
| 5,600
|
| 155
|
|-
| Jurong Island Terminal (JIT)
| rowspan="12" | PSA
| rowspan="8" | Container
| 2
|
| 2
|
|
|-
| Keppel (KT)
| 14
| 3,164
| 27
| 105
|
|-
| Pasir Panjang (PPT 1)
| 6
| 2,145
| 19
| 85
|
|-
| Pasir Panjang (PPT 2)
| 9
| 2,972
| 36
| 139
|
|-
| Pasir Panjang (PPT 3)
| 8
| 2,655
| 31
| 94
|
|-
| Pasir Panjang (PPT 4)
| 3
| 1,264
| 13
| 70
|
|-
| Pasir Panjang (PPT 5)
| 6
| 2,160
| 24
| 83
|
|-
| Pasir Panjang (PPT 6)
| 6
| 2,251
| 24
| 80
|
|-
| Pasir Panjang Automobile Terminal
| Ro-Ro
| 3
| 1,010
|
| 25
|
|-
| Sembawang Wharves
| General
| 4
| 660
|
| 28
|
|-
| Tanjong Pagar (TPT) (decommissioned)
| rowspan="2" | Container
| 7
| 2,097
| 0
| 79.5
|
|-
| Tuas Megaport Finger 2 (Tuas F2)
| 11
|
| 43
|
|
|}
See also
- Jurong Island
- List of ports and harbors of the Pacific Ocean
- List of busiest container ports
- Pulau Bukom
References
Further reading
<!--Please arrange chronologically. Thanks.-->
History
- Borschberg, Peter (2018). "Three questions about maritime Singapore, 16th and 17th Centuries", Ler História, 72: 31-54. https://journals.openedition.org/lerhistoria/3234
Present day
External links
- Live Camera to Port of Singapore
- Official website of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
- Port operational statistics
- SG Bicentennial: A Port's Story - a video series about the history of the port of Singapore, produced by PSA Singapore in 2019 to commemorate Singapore's Bicentennial.