Singapore hits three billion GT mark with arrival of ONE Olympus

December 27, 2023, by Fatima Bahtić

The Port of Singapore registered a record three billion gross tonnage (GT) in annual vessel arrival tonnage. The three billion GT mark was crossed with the arrival of 98,799 GT Singapore-flagged containership, ONE Olympus.

As informed, the vessel arrived at the Pasir Panjang Terminal on December 25. 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.

In 2004. the Port of Singapore reached 1 billion, while in 2011, the port achieved 2 billion GT.

This year’s achievement was marked by an event held at PSA Horizons.

Speaking at the event, Acting Minister Chee Hong Tat said that the Port of Singapore’s most important success factor, which enabled this milestone achievement, was the strong tripartite cooperation that 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”.

“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,” MPA Chief Executive Teo Eng Dih said.

“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,” noted Jeremy Nixon, Global CEO, ONE.

“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,” Ong Kim Pong, Group CEO (Designate), PSA International, said.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the People’s Republic of China’s Tianjin Municipal Transportation Commission to establish the Singapore – Tianjin Green and Digital Shipping Corridor.

Furthermore, the port authority, together with Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and Port of Long Beach (POLB), unveiled a partnership strategy for a green and digital shipping corridor (GDSC) across the Pacific Ocean.