SINGAPORE (Oct 3): PSA’s new consolidated port in Tuas is set to “rethink the future of shipping,” says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Speaking at an event on Thursday marking the groundbreaking of the future container terminal, Lee says the Tuas Megaport, which consolidates operations from PSA’s existing activities in Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, Brani and Pasir Panjang, will be “the world’s single largest container terminal”.

Costing over $20 billion, Tuas Megaport will be “around the size of two Ang Mo Kios,” Lee says. The consolidated port will allow PSA to double its capacity from the 36 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) it currently handles every year.

“Officially, Tuas is designed to handle 65 million TEUs,” Lee says. “But I am sure PSA can squeeze a little more out of it if we work hard.”

Indeed, the port is now working hard at furthering the connectivity of Singapore’s future economy through the development of an ecosystem which will comprise synergistic industries and supply chain nodes interlinked by a seamless mesh of physical and digital connections.

One of the innovations is a fleet of fully-driverless vehicles that are electrically automated and guided. These autonomous vehicles will transport containers between the wharf and the yard.

The technology, which is presently being tested at the Pasir Panjang terminal, is said to produce 25% less carbon footprint than conventional vehicles used.

Another tech-based feature is the automated rail-mounted gantry cranes. The fully-electric cranes are equipped with cameras and laser sensors, which will enable crane supervisors to monitor multiple cranes remotely.

Such intelligent, data-driven operations management systems are believed to promote smart engineering and power management at Tuas.

Lee says that being developed on a greenfield site allows Tuas to boast sustainable features – a move that countries, particularly in ASEAN, are championing.

The port will be developed progressively in four phases that will be fully completed in 2040. Its first berth will commence operations in 2021.

Peter Voser, Group Chairman of PSA International, notes that Tuas presents the port with an opportunity “to reinvigorate and reimagine”.

Speaking at the same event, Voser says PSA’s plans are poised to “lead the industry’s transformation for the delivery of holistic cargo solutions and promote greater supply chain efficiency”.

As daunting as this may seem, Lee notes that Singapore has come a long way from the set-up of its first container terminal at Tanjong Pagar. The port was the first in Southeast Asia, and was met with scepticism from The World Bank, which had concerns that the plan was “too far-fetched”.

Even so, Lee says the container terminal has grown immensely – and exceeded expectations.

Today, it connects to over 600 ports in 120 countries, making Singapore a key node in the global supply chain. He adds that the port is a nucleus for the maritime ecosystem, comprising shipping lines, financing companies, insurance companies, maritime law experts, commodity brokers, ship surveyors, and shipyards.

For now, Lee is looking towards Tuas to continue developing Singapore’s connectivity.

After all, he believes the port “gives companies the assurance that they can source for supplies and export their goods from anywhere in the world”.

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