Impact of Tensions in Middle East on Waiting Time at PSA Ports

40 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Transport (a) what is the longest average waiting time per week at PSA ports since January 2024; (b) given the escalation of tension in the Middle East and other parts of the world, whether the Ministry can provide an update on the current port congestion situation in Singapore; and (c) what are the plans to further ease port congestion in the next 12 months.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: The Port of Singapore has faced increased demand and complexity of container handling, as shipping lines rely on Singapore as a key transshipment port to mitigate their commercial challenges. From January to July this year, we handled 23.82 million twenty-foot equivalent units, an increase of 6.1% from the same period last year.

The Member may refer to the Ministry of Transport’s reply at the 2 July 2024 Sitting for the measures we continue to take to address the additional demand for container handling capacity at our port. [Please refer to "Adequacy of Singapore’s Seaports to Anticipate and Manage Severe Cargo Congestion", Official Report, 2 July 2024, Vol 95, Issue 137, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.]

The average vessel wait time for container berths within our port has been reduced from between two to three days in May 2024 – which was the highest we observed this year – to half a day in August 2024. This is comparable to average wait times observed pre-Red Sea Crisis.