The Port of Shanghai held on easily to its title as world’s busiest box port for a fifth consecutive year in 2014 and even pulled away further from second placer Singapore.
In December, Shanghai estimated container traffic of about 35.2 million boxes in 2014.
The Port of Singapore, on the other hand, had an overall container throughput of 33.9 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) last year. This was 4% higher than the 32.6 million TEUs registered in 2013, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said recently, citing advance estimates.
In 2013, Shanghai handled about one million boxes more than Singapore.
China’s ports are the top players in the global container shipping market, and last year Ningbo displaced South Korea’s Busan as the fifth busiest harbor in the world. Seven of the world’s top 10 container ports were in China in 2013, with Hong Kong coming in at fourth.
PSA volumes expand 5.8%
In other industry news, Singapore-based port operator PSA International Pte Ltd handled 65.44 million TEUs of containers at its port projects around the world in 2014.
The group’s volume increased by 5.8% over 2013 with the flagship PSA Singapore Terminals contributing 33.55 million TEUs (up 4.1%) and PSA terminals outside Singapore handling 31.89 million TEUs (up 7.8%).
Tan Chong Meng, group CEO, said, “Last year was challenging for the shipping and port industry. Global trade growth was modest and that, coupled with the introduction of many mega vessels, resulted in overcapacity and low freight rates for liner carriers. The increasingly large ships and complex alliances have also led to much greater operational demands being placed on port operators; this is a structural shift which will impact all ports as ships across all shipping routes continue to upsize.”
Looking ahead to 2015, Tan said the port operator will work on increasing its network of terminals through “necessary investments to stretch our capabilities and enhance our operational efficiency.”
Solar panels at Jurong Port
Meanwhile, Jurong Port, a multipurpose port in Singapore, plans to install solar panels on more than 95,000 square meters of warehouse roof space in what it claims will be the largest port-based solar panel facility in the world.
With an installation cost of S$30 million, the solar panel will be able to generate about 10 megawatts of electricity at its peak capacity, and is part of company efforts to promote environmental sustainability, according to a company statement.
The installation agreement was signed recently, and the project is expected to begin next month, with a completion target of December this year.
Photo: Alex Needham
