S'pore port retains 'world's busiest' crown

S'pore port retains 'world's busiest' crown

SINGAPORE (AFP): The port of Singapore remained the world's busiest last year in terms of shipping tonnage, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in its 1999 annual report released Thursday.

During the year, more than 141,000 vessels, totaling 877 million gross tons called at the port. The arrival rate averaged one vessel every 3.75 minutes.

Total cargo tonnage reached 326 million tons, up from 312 million in 1998, while container traffic increased 5.3 percent to 15.94 million 20-foot equivalent units.

The Singapore registry of ships grew to more than 23 million gross tons, making it the seventh largest in the world and the largest in Asia, according to the report.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) listed Singapore as the 11th most important maritime nation in the world.

Financially, the MPA returned a net surplus of S$84.7 million (US$48.4 million) after contributing to the consolidated fund, up from S$80.1 million the previous year.

Despite the positive figures, MPA chairman Peter Ho said there remained a need to "think of new and creative ways" to meet the demands of shipping lines.

"In the face of intensifying regional port competition, and the burgeoning clout of shipping alliances, we must step up our efforts to maintain our hub port status," he said.