A new berth has opened at the port of Singapore this week, with two more opening by the end of the year, which could help to improve congestion at the port.
Tuas port is in phase one of a long term megaport project, which includes developing 21 new berths by 2027. The full project will eventually give Singapore a handling capacity of 65 million TEUs, double the current volume, when it completes in the 2040’s.
Singapore port authorities hope that the introduction of the new berth will help to ease the severe congestion it has been witnessing during recent weeks. Most ships are waiting up to a week to berth due to vessel bunching and irregular schedules caused by the Red Sea crisis.
Congestion has more recently spread to nearby ports in Malaysia that have taken some of the overflow. Tanjung Pelepas has been experiencing severe congestion and up to twenty vessels have regularly been anchored at Port Klang waiting for a berthing slot.
Many Chinese ports are also suffering from congestion and berthing delays. Two of the most affected are Shanghai and Qingdao, where 5 day delays are currently commonplace.
