The Port of Singapore: a Reflective Essay

This text file discusses the Port of Singapore and the strategic importance of its placement to the modern traders. It besides discusses the government incentives and the Advanced Information Technology that the larboard has been using to attract modern shipping companies in the holocene by. Anything beyond is not discussed for the limitation of the term composition. The port of Singapore Over the concluding 40 years, the world has been awestruck with the incredible growth of the island state into a major department of transportation epicenter of ball-shaped trade. In the 1970s, the Port of Singapore pioneered the first container port in the history. By 1980 ’ s the port hit its first milestone of handling 1 million TEUs and within the next 10 years by 1990 ’ second ( Port of Singapore Annual Reports ), the port was handling 5 million TEU ( Twenty-foot equivalent container units ) per annum .
nowadays, about 20 years after the big landmark, the port handles over 28 million TEUs ( Port of Singapore Annual Reports ) per year make it the second-largest port in the entire world after the Port of Shanghai in terms of Container traffic. The container shipments from the Port of Singapore incorporate one-fifth of the world ’ mho container cargo volume ( Authority ). The port besides takes huge pride in shipping half of the global ’ mho annual crude oil supply. In terms of total cargo volume, the port handles about 500000 thousand freight tonnes per class ( Authority ) which makes it the second busy port in the world after the Port of Shanghai. Today Port Singapore is connected to 123 ports of the populace go around over 123 countries and 6 continents, making it one of the most authoritative parts of the earth. Singapore : strategic Importance of the Geographical Location The importance of the geographic location of Singapore has been largely significant since deal started between Asian, North American and the european continents. The Singapore Strait has been used heavily for deal by the Romans, Chinese, Arabs, Greeks, and the Indians since meter immemorial ( Gupta ) .
After the Suez Canal opened in the mid-1800s, the Singapore Strait has become a vital linkage of trade between the mighty european nations and East Asia. The Singapore Strait is attractive to traders because it is the shortest and cheapest sea-link between the Pacific Ocean and the indian Ocean ( Gupta ). With the advent of the big japanese car manufacture industry, the fabric diligence of South Asia and the intemperate outsource of the north american fabricate plants in the last 30 years, Asia is no longer a continent which chiefly exports low-valued raw materials to be processed in the West. The flow of more expensive manufactured goods from the East to the West have proliferated in the death 30 years. ( Sie ) As a solution, ship and transportation costs have become even further less inelastic fostering the huge emergence of the shipping diligence of Singapore .
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Although it is frequently not in the limelight, the southeast asian nations have a large root of oil- refineries which have led to the heavy embark traffic of the crude anoint through the strait of Singapore. Taiwan has an oil refine capacitance. 54 million b/cd and South Korea has a capacity of 1 million b/cd aboard Singapore. Japan and China top the tilt with a capacity of 4. 7 and 2. 2 million b/cd respectively. ( Olson ) Apart from China which has a self-sufficient output of crude petroleum, every other nation depends on the Middle-Eastern countries for their anoint supplies. Japan entirely imported 130 million tonnes and 195 million tonnes of unrefined oil from the Middle-East and the african nations in the years 1990 and 2010 respectively ( Olson ). Owing to this heavy demand for crude anoint, the Port of Singapore has been creditworthy for transporting half of the world ’ second petroleum supply in the year 2010 .
Owing to its the prime geographic location and clayey politics incentives and a floor of Information Technology discussed later in the wallpaper, the majority of the exports from Singapore are based on re-exports from early countries. There are about 60000 ship movements per annum in the Strait of Singapore. In 2010, the Port of Singapore transhipped 17447,000 TEUs which constituted about 82 ( Statistics ) % of Singapore ’ s annual export. today, the Port of Singapore is the busiest port in the World in terms of the transshipment of containers .
Port of Singapore: Operations The Port of Singapore has 6 terminals to accommodate all types of vessels-ocean liners, lighters, cargo freighters, coasters, breakbulk carriers and container ships. The 6 terminals are Keppel Terminal, Brani Terminal, Pasir Panjang Terminal, Sembawang Wharves, and Pasir Panjang Wharves. The Wharves terminals can facilitate all kinds of vessels while the other terminals are specialized mean for the containers vessels .
The Port of Singapore’s container’s facilities are listed as follows:

  •  Number of Terminals: 4
  • Area: 436 hectares
  • Designed capacity: 24700 TEU
  • Quay cranes: 143
  • Maximum draft: 16 m
  • Quay length: 12800 m

According to the Global Competitive Report published by the World Economic Forum, Port of Singapore ranked the best port in terms of facilities and received a rat of 6. 76 out of a utmost 7. The borrowing of information technology Over the death few years The Port of Singapore has invested heavily in Information Technology which means that processes now are much faster, more dependable, and more cost-efficient for the consumers .
Making the most out of the latest automation engineering, data engineering, and wireless communications, the Port of Singapore combined its large domain cognition in container operations with the latest technology such as CITOS ( Computer Integrated Terminal Operations System ), POSTNET and Flow-through Gate Technology. Singapore Port ’ s massive network and heavy transport traffic are very efficiently controlled by Computer-Integrated Terminal Operations System ( CITOS ). CITES is a Resource Planning System that keeps track of every asset from prime movers to yard cranes to quay cranes to containers and drivers. Before CITOS was introduced, resources were allocated to a sealed place in the port and they stayed there unless it was needed somewhere else. With CITES, resources can be much well coordinated and allocated. 60 different vessels harbor the Singapore Port on a given day. Although a lot of these vessels arrive out of schedule, CITOS makes certain that they don ’ t have to wait in the harbor for a minute. When any transportation line applies for a position, the ship stowage and the embark connection information is sent to the port through POSTNET. The CITOS system begins planning the berth of the transport line about 72 hours prior to arrival which means that the system besides computes other alternatives in case the vessel is off schedule. This means that for about all the vessels that harbor the Port of Singapore, there is about zero wait time. ( Authority ) once a ship is harbored, the quay cranes operated by the CITOS system beginning discharging containers destined for other ports and load boxes brought in by other vessels .
Once containers are unloaded on the dock, they are not randomly stacked in the yard. The Information about the container is fed into the system and CITOS generates a ship stowage and yard layout plans based on the following factors in order of importance :

  • Special requirements (e. g. Dangerous goods, tight connections, etc)
  • Destination
  • Ship stability (for further stowage planning)
  • Size
  • Weight The CITOS system provides many competitive advantages to the Port of Singapore. It allows the system to keep track and locate every single container on the port.

It allows the maximal use of land and optimize efficiency. last, but not the least, it ensures maximal utilization of each individual resource since it is pre-planned by the system advance. POSTNET is a network serve that provides internet connectivity to the stallion port community with a single sign-on network portal. The system provides interconnectivity between vessels, freight forwarders, government agencies, and haulers. This helps them to synchronize and manage information much better. Singapore has about 8000 users who use the system to get real-time, detail information on all port, logistics, and transportation processes and use it to make critical decisions in their business .

  • The main functions of POSTNET Singapore are summarized below:
  • Enable shipping companies to monitor their own performance
  • Provide a documentation portal between the consumers and the shipping company
  • Managing efficiency for transshipment processes of the vessels
  • Supporting real-time information exchanges between shipping line alliances.

FLOW THROUGH GATE The Flow-through gate system is a sustainable paper-less system that helps truck drivers to identify the particular containers that are needed to be loaded onto the hand truck within a phosphorus of 20-25 seconds. On average, the system processes about 8000 trucks per day. Before the driver arrives at the dock, he submits a requisition for the containers through the POSTNET arrangement. After the driver arrives at the Port gate, he verifies his identity through a fingerprint biometric lector or by punching in his alone identification numeral. The gate scan ’ s the hand truck ’ s dashboard and identifies the hand truck. The Container numeral Recognition system captures the container number with a near circuit camera. The system then matches this information against the information provided during requisition and clears the hand truck for introduction. After the driver enters the port, the system sends a text message to the driver ’ second mobile earphone with the accurate data about the location in the pier where the containers would be fix to be stacked onto the truck. Government incentives The Government of Singapore had a major function to play in the boom of the embark diligence in the last 40 years .
Singapore has 5 Free Trade Zones to encourage Re-exports of goods from early countries. Under the Free Trade Act, goods could be cleaned, sorted, distributed, repacked, assembled, or sold in accordance with the Act. Under the Act, transshipment goods can be stored in Singapore exempt of bang with very little custom bureaucracies. In 1991, The Singapore government enacted the Approved International Shipping ( AIS ) Enterprise bonus under which shipping companies based on Singapore could be exempted from corporate taxes for the initial 10 years and can be renewed even if they don ’ t own their own vessel. In 2009, the Government of Singapore announced their goal of making Singapore the ‘ ’ ball-shaped nautical cognition hub ’ ’ of the world. Since then the government has heavily invested in research and growth of Information Technology in the ship industry and the Port of Singapore. It has introduced the Maritime Cluster Fund which offers fiscal funds for education, assorted research, engineering, and invention under this plain. such HR incentives have decidedly smoothened the transition of a batch of shipping companies to Singapore in the last two and a half years .
COMPETITION As discussed earlier, the Singapore Strait has grown massive importance in the final few decades. today, Singapore faces massive competition from the neighbouring ports specially from the interface of Tanjung Peepas in Malaysia. In early 2000, 10 % of Singapore ’ s container volume moved to the port in Malaysia owing to the brassy handle charges in the neighbor country. Statistics show that handling charges were about 30-40 % lower than Singapore. Many of the neighbor ports have below-par facilities compared to the Port of Singapore. Hence many of these ports can afford to have much lower treat and receive charges. Although Singapore has a much better repute, the relatively more expensive nature of the Port of Singapore is going to continue to pose a menace to the port in the years to come. COnclusion The Port of Singapore has a great repute being the trade epicenter of the world and for being one of the best seaports in the worldly concern. Although the port has an excellent past reputation, the twenty-first hundred will bring about newfangled challenges and competition from neighbouring ports such as Malaysia.

The Government of Singapore is doing its best by harnessing promote Information technology at the Port and providing unlike government incentives to hold it ’ randomness competitive stand. In response, many of the foreign companies such as Clarkson, Swiss Re, Shipowners ’ P & I club, and Rolls Royce have moved their marine headquarter to Singapore in the last few years. As the domination for leading ports unfolds, more ship companies will be taking politics incentives and Information Technology for granted. Today more firms are showing interest in ports which have established the legal, fiscal, and logistics sector. It will be concern to see ho the Port of Singapore react to these newly challenges in the years to come. Appendix
Table 2. Containers handled at the PSA terminals (source: PSA annual report 2000)

Year Million TEUs handled
1989 4. 36
1990 5. 22
1991 6. 35
1992 7. 55
1993 09. 04
1994 10. 39
1995 11. 84
1996 12. 93
1997 14. 12
1998 15. 1
1999 15. 9

Ranking of ports on port facilities as presented in the global competitiveness report published by the world economic forum.

Rank Country Rating
1 Singapore 6. 76
2 Netherlands 6. 64
3 Canada 6. 42
4 Germany 6. 38
5 Hong Kong SAR 6. 38
6 United States 6. 27
7 Finland 6. 26
8 Belgium 6. 17
9 Denmark 6. 16
10 New Zealand 5. 82

Reference

  1. www.singaporepsa.com. Gupta, Sen. The Malacca Straits and the Indian Ocean: A Study of the Strategic and Legal Aspects of a Controversial Sea-lane. New Delhi, 1974.
  2. Olson, Hal F. “Tanker traffic and shipping routes”. ” n. d. “Port of Singapore Annual Reports. ” Port of Singapore, 1970-2010.
  3. Sie, Chia-Lin. “The Straits of Malacca and Singapore: Navigational, Resources, and Environmental Considerations”. ” Southeast Asian Seas: Frontiers for Development, 1981. Statistics, Singapore Department of. “Yearbook of Statistics?” 2011.

The Port of Singapore: a Reflective Essay essay
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