Latest News

Singapore allows night motion of containers at Pasir Panjang Terminal

Singapore will enable night movement of linetowed container barges to and from Pasir Panjang Terminal, following a fourmonth trial, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The most recent measure followed a duration of longer waiting times for vessels for container berths earlier in May and June, when blockage at Singapore, the world's second-largest container port, struck its worst since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Night motion was previously permitted just at the Brani and Keppel Terminals, where navigational traffic is less intricate than around Pasir Panjang.

This procedure aims to improve connection with local ports, improve port effectiveness, decrease the time container and feeder vessels invest at berth and the requirement for containers to be transported in between land terminals, MPA said.

Extra safety measures will likewise be executed, including obligatory pilotage for the barges, limitations on the length of towing lines and close monitoring of barge movements by MPA's vessel traffic management system, it stated.

Each line-towed barge can bring an average of 300 twenty-foot comparable units (TEUs).

Singapore port dealt with 23.82 million TEUs of containers from January to July this year, up 6.1% from the same period last year.

The typical wait time for container berths at the port has been reduced to less than one day in July, after several steps were presented, MPA said.

These included adding new berths at Tuas port, reactivating berths and lawn spaces at Keppel, increasing workforce and teaming up with liners in scheduling operations.

(source: Reuters)