Strengthening Resilience of Singapore's Port and Maritime Ecosystem to Manage Prolonged Disruptions
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Mariam Jaafar’s inquiry into specific measures to strengthen Singapore’s port and maritime ecosystem resilience against prolonged global shipping disruptions. Minister of State Jeffrey Siow detailed capacity expansion efforts, including the activation of four additional berths at Tuas Port this year to manage demand. The Ministry of Transport and MPA are collaborating with PSA to ensure manpower readiness and develop new capabilities for handling shipping volatility. Port efficiency is being optimized through the digitalPort@SG Just-In-Time platform and PSA’s coordination with shipping lines for vessel re-routing and service recoveries. These measures aim to mitigate congestion risks and ensure stable operations, maintaining Singapore’s status as a trusted and reliable maritime hub.
Transcript
75 Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Acting Minister for Transport in light of recent global shipping disruptions and Singapore's role as a key maritime hub, whether the Ministry can provide more detail on the specific measures being taken to strengthen the resilience of Singapore's port and maritime ecosystem, including contingency planning and system redundancies to manage prolonged disruptions.
Mr Jeffrey Siow: We have put in place measures to help Singapore's port and maritime ecosystem manage ongoing shipping disruptions. These include measures to enhance port capacity and improve reliability and efficiency of port operations.
We are pressing on with our port's capacity expansion plans, which will help address increased demand and volatility arising from unforeseen disruptions. For example, four more berths at Tuas Port are scheduled to commence operations this year. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) and MPA are also working with PSA to ensure sufficient manpower and to develop new capabilities to manage the anticipated increase in demand.
In addition, MPA coordinates with shipping lines through the digitalPort@SG Just-In-Time Planning and Coordination Platform to optimise their vessel arrival times in port. PSA also works with shipping lines to support the re-routing of their ships and service recoveries. These measures provide more certainty for shipping lines, reducing the risk of bunching and congestion while enhancing operational efficiency of our port.
Port operations have remained stable thus far. MPA will continue closely monitoring developments and their impact on global shipping. We will continue our efforts to strengthen Singapore's position as a trusted maritime hub in the midst of these disruptions.