22 April 2008
The Port of Singapore picked up the Best Seaport in Asia title for the twentieth time this evening, attesting to Singapore's firm standing in the minds of the maritime community as a choice port of call and maritime centre. This prestigious international award was conferred upon Singapore, and received by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), at the 22nd Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards (AFSCA) organised by Cargonews Asia, a leading transport publication.
Receiving the award on behalf of the MPA, Capt Khong Shen Ping, Acting Chief Executive said, "We are greatly appreciative and honoured by the vote of confidence from our industry partners, who have reaffirmed Singapore as their port of choice in Asia. The MPA will continue to work with our maritime partners to ensure that Singapore remains a leading global transhipment hub port, distinguished by its competitiveness and quality of services."
The votes for the award were cast based on a number of guiding criteria, such as having a cost competitive and container shipping-friendly regime, providing timely and adequate investment in port infrastructure to meet future demand, and facilitation of ancillary services, including logistics and freight forwarding. Voters include shipping lines, terminal operators, freight forwarders and shippers from across Asia.
The AFSCA awards are designed to recognise organisations for demonstrating leadership, as well as consistency in service quality, innovation, customer relationship management and reliability. It aims to identify the best cargo transportation players in the world, covering seaports, airports, shipping lines, rail operators, container terminal operators, logistics service providers and other players in the freight and supply chain industries.
Singapore's Port Performance
The Port of Singapore continues to enjoy the good performance that it achieved last year, with strong growth registered on various fronts in the first quarter of this year. Shipping tonnage of vessel arrivals went up by 14.2 per cent compared to the same period last year to reach 393 million gross tons (GT). Singapore's container throughput from Jan to Mar 08 climbed to 7.3 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit), an 11.4 per cent increase over the same period last year. The total cargo tonnage handled rose by 13.1 per cent year-on-year to 131.3 million tonnes. Bunker sales figures reached 8.6 million tonnes, a 14.5 per cent rise for the first quarter of 2008, versus the same period last year.
End of release
About the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was established on 2 February 1996, with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre (IMC), and to advance and safeguard Singapore's strategic maritime interests. The MPA is the driving force behind Singapore's port and maritime development, taking on the roles of Port Authority, Port Regulator, Port Planner, IMC Champion, and National Maritime Representative. The MPA partners the industry and other agencies to enhance safety, security and environmental protection in our port waters, facilitate port operations and growth, expand the cluster of maritime ancillary services, and promote maritime R&D and manpower development.
About the Port of Singapore
The Port of Singapore comprises a number of facilities and terminals that handle a wide range of cargo transported in different forms, including containers, conventional and bulk cargo. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is responsible for the overall development and growth of the Port of Singapore. It works with the terminal operators, such as PSA Singapore and Jurong Port Pte Ltd, to ensure that there are adequate port facilities to meet demand.
