The Port of Singapore registered a record three billion gross tonnage[1] (GT) in annual vessel arrival tonnage. The three billion GT mark was crossed with the arrival of the 8,628 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), 98,799 GT Singapore-flagged containership, ONE OLYMPUS, at the Pasir Panjang Terminal on 25 December 2023.

The annual vessel arrival tonnage at the Port of Singapore for 2023 is expected to hit just over 3 billion GT in 2023[2], up from 2.83 billion GT in 2022.

This achievement was marked at an event organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) at PSA Horizons today. The event was graced by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Acting Minister for Transport, and attended by guests from the maritime industry. Mr Chee presented mementoes to the Master of ONE OLYMPUS, Captain Vaibhav Narula, and the Global Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Network Express (ONE), Mr Jeremy Nixon.

Speaking at the event, Acting Minister Chee said that the Port of Singapore’s most important success factor, which enabled this milestone achievement, was the strong tripartite co-operation which existed between the unions, industry, and government. He noted that while others could try to replicate our hardware, infrastructure, technologies and operating systems, “many find it difficult to replicate our trusted tripartite ecosystem in Singapore. This is one of the key elements which gives us an edge to stay ahead of the competition and to take Maritime Singapore to even greater heights”.

MPA Chief Executive, Mr Teo Eng Dih said, “We are humbled that Singapore continues to be a choice port of call. We will continue to work with all our tripartite stakeholders to improve the efficiency and safety of our port. The launch of the Just-in-Time (JIT) Planning and Coordination Platform on 1 October this year for vessels calling at PSA terminals and Jurong Port is one such initiative. The JIT Platform will help to improve vessel turnarounds and optimise port calls, and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships. It will be extended progressively to all vessels calling into Singapore from January 2024.”

“As ONE we take great pride that one of our vessels has contributed in this way, to assist Singapore in achieving this truly historic and significant 3 billion GT milestone. ONE’s enduring ties with Singapore will continue to flourish as we recognise its leading qualities as a global maritime centre, strategic logistics hub and home to our global corporate head office. On behalf of ONE and all the maritime companies based and operating in Singapore, we congratulate the Port of Singapore for this fine achievement and wish them further success for many more decades to come”, said Mr Jeremy Nixon, Global CEO, ONE.

Mr Ong Kim Pong, Group CEO (Designate), PSA International, said, “Hitting the 3 billion GT mark is a significant achievement. The trust by our customers and the efforts by many generations of PSA staff since 1964 have brought about the evolution of PSA in driving Singapore’s economic growth, and in enabling global trade. PSA stays committed to positioning Singapore as a premier hub port and a trusted node in global supply chains by delivering service excellence and sustainable connectivity. Alongside our staff, unions, partners, and customers, we will continue to innovate and co-create a vibrant and resilient Maritime Singapore that embraces digitalisation, sustainability, and talent development.”

“The strong partnership and collaboration with customers and stakeholders have supported Singapore’s achievement of the 3 billion GT milestone today. As a next generation multi-purpose port, Jurong Port is committed to help build leaner and greener supply chains to enhance our productivity and provide quality service to our valued customers. We are proud to be part of this accomplishment which reflects the reliability and resilience of Singapore’s maritime industry”, said Mr Terence Seow, CEO, Jurong Port.

[1] Gross tonnage is a way of measuring the size of ships and is the measurement of a ship’s enclosed space, including its engine room and non-cargo spaces. The annual vessel arrival tonnage refers to the combined internal volume of all vessels that arrived at the port in a year. It is commonly used by the industry to measure the traffic of vessels calling at a port.
[2] The Port of Singapore reached 1 billion GT in 2004 and 2 billion GT in 2011.
Source: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore