News

PSA tops in Global Ranking in 2014 18 September 2015

PSA International achieved a total throughput of 55.1 million TEUs in 2014, according to Global Container Terminal Operators Annual Report, done by Drewry' Maritime Consultants.

The world top five operators are ranked as (1) PSA International, (2) Hutchison Port Holdings, (3) Maersk APM Terminals, (4) DP World and (5) Cosco Pacific.

Although PSA retained it's top ranking, market share fell to 8.1%. Total world throughput rose 5.5% to 677.9 million TEUs in 2014.

Rising demand and bigger ships contributed to investment in ports. By 2019, it is estimated that the top five container terminal operators will add signiifcantly more capacity - PSA +24 million TEUs, APM +17 million TEUs, Hutchison and DP World each +14 million and Cosco Pacific +9 million TEUs.

"Ships have reached their maximum size limit" - PSA International CEO 17 September 2015

This was declared by Tan Chong Meng, CEO of PSA International at the Global Shipping Asia Conference in Singapore. According to Lloyd, ships may expand capacity to 24,000 to 26,000 TEUs, but that would be the limit.

This would place new stress on both the quayside and the landside. The quayside will require faster dscharge and loading of containers, while more container yard space needs to be designed to cater the movement and temporary storage of containers.

Still, vessels of over 14,000 TEUs currently only accounted for 3% of all port calls in Asia. Ships of over 10,000 TEUs made up of 12% of all visits. According to some experts, such mega ships will reach a point of diminishing returns. For isntance, if a carrier switches from a 9,000 TEU to 12,000 TEU ship, the number of containers carried increase by 33%, but the operating cost decreases by only 19%.

PIL ordered eight container ships from Yangzijiang Shipyard 16 September 2015

Pacific International Lines (PIL), a Singapore based company, has ordered eight container ships from Yangzijiang Shipyard, based in Jiangsu, China.

Four of them will be post-panamax ships of 9,700 TEUs capacity, and the other four will be 11,800 TEUs capacity. The latter will form the largest sized ships in PIL's fleet.

Both Singapore and Hong Kong reported less container throughput 15 September 2015

Maritime Port Authority of Singapore reported 2.5 million TEUs handled in August 2015, a drop of 12% from 2.9 million TEUs in the same month last year.

Hong Kong Marine Department showed a total of 1.74 million TEU handled in August 2015, a drop of 9.8% from 1.92 million TEUs as well.

China 2014 GDP Growth Revised to 7.3% 14 September 2015

National Bureau of Statistics of China reported that the annual growth rate for the country in 2014 was revised downward from 7.4% to 7.3%.

This is mainly due to the revision of the services sector which had its growth rate revised from 8.1% to 7.8%. The latest revised GDP of China is CNY 63.6 trillion.

The country aimed to grow GDP by 7.5% in 2015. However, President Xi has warned about a new normal in economic growth and the number is likely to be lower over the next few years as China seeks to rebalance its economy from an export oriented to a consumer led economy.

Singapore leads in Maritime Services Ranking 13 September 2015

The International Shipping Centre Development Index compares 46 of the world's largest port cities and rank them annually. Singapore come in at the top, followed by London and Hong Kong respectively.

In the list of top ten port cities, four are located in Asia and Europe each. There is one located in Middle East and U.S. each.

The index is based on three categories :

a. Business Environment : Macro-economic factors, business friendliness, transport efficiency, infrastructure, IT capabilities.

b. Maritime Services : Ship management, marine insurance, legal and arbitration services, brokerage, ship engineering and repair.

c. Port Conditions : Container and bulk cargo throuhgput, port draught, number of container berths, number of material handling equipment, overall efficiency level.

Unlicensed Bunker Seller Fined in Singapore 2 September 2015

Maritime Port Authority of Singapore fined JL Petroleum Pte Ltd, a Singapore based bunker seller, for supplying marine fuel without a valid license. A bunker supplier operating in Singapore needs to have a license. There are currently 59 licensed bunker supplier, down from 65 in 2014. The company supplied marine fuel on 14 occassions from 2 June to 25 June 2013. JL Petroleum pleaded guilty to the charges.

Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) in Singapore 1 September 2015

The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore requires all the Singapore registered ships to test for SSAS. SSAS will supersede the Shipping Circular No. 16 of 2006 and No. 9 of 2011. The new email address Shipalert@mpa.gov.sg will be used.

New Standard TR 39 in Singapore 1 September 2015

On 14 August 2015, Singapore launched a new standard called TR39:2015 to resolve disputes over damaged containers. This standard was developed by Manufacturing Standards Committee (MSC), under the Singapore Standards Council.

As an international transport hub, Singapore handles more than 30 million TEUs per year. Thus, it is important to determine a proper and effective document and reporting system to track container damage through the entire supply chain. This initiative is the first indusry-wide standard in the world to ensure that container damages are identified, documented and resolved.