Singapore poised to become world's top container port

Singapore poised to become world's top container port

SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore, the world's second largest container port, is close to exceeding the volume of containers handled by industry leader Hong Kong, according to statistics from the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA).

PSA's report for the first quarter of 1994, released over the weekend, showed that container units handled in Singapore hit a high of 32,735.9 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units), compared to 30,180.7 TEUs in the same period last year.

There were 16.626.8 TEU arrivals with 16.109.1 TEU departures. According to the PSA's 1993 annual report released last month, Hong Kong occupied the top spot among container ports with a total of 9.20 million TEUs handled in 1993 with Singapore a close second with 9.05 million TEUs.

"With the steady growth in the containers handled here, Singapore should be in a position to move up to the world number one spot," a spokeswoman for PSA said, but added they had no figures on the increase in containers handled by Hong Kong for the first four months of this year.

The spokeswoman said the PSA only received annual reports from international organizations dealing in cargo trade handled by ships and ports, and that it was impossible to determine Hong Kong's growth rate for the first four months of this year.

She added that Hong Kong and Singapore were always in a close fight for the top place in containers handled and "this year it would be another close contest."

According to the 1993 world rankings, Taiwan's Kaohsiung was the third busiest container port with 4.64 million TEUs handled followed by Rotterdam in fourth place with 4.16 million TEUs.

Sales of bunker oil also registered a growth in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 1993. PSA's report said.

For the first four months of this year the port sold 4.41 million tons of bunker oil compared to 4.16 million tons in the same period in 1993.