Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said three new berths will be commissioned at Tuas Port later this year to address longer waiting times for ships after arrivals due to shipping tensions in the Red Sea.
The MPA said in a statement late on Thursday that ship shifts around the Cape of Good Hope have disrupted arrival schedules at major ports around the world and led to a "vessel bunching" effect for container ships calling at Singapore this year.
The new berths will bring the total number of operating berths at Tuas Port to 11, helping to handle the growing number of container ships.
In the first four months of 2024, Singapore's container throughput reached 13.36 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 8.8% year-on-year.
This has led to longer waiting times for ships to get container berths, the MPA said.
For tankers and bulk carriers, replenishment and bunkering activities take place within anchorages, so these activities are not affected, the MPA added.
Industry sources told Reuters earlier this year that some shippers are facing longer delivery and transit wait times at Singapore, the world's largest fuel port, as ships are diverted, leading to increased bunkering demand and port calls.
