Singapore box volumes rises 4% in 2014, bunker sales dip

Last year, box volumes rose to 33.9m teu compared to 32.6m teu in 2013, according to figures from Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Singapore’s container throughput in 2014 puts the port in number two position behind China’s Shanghai port, which is the world’s busiest handling 35.29m teu.

In bunker sales, Singapore remained the world’s number one bunkering port in 2014. The total volume of bunkers sold in Singapore port was 42.4m metric tonnes, a slight dip compared to 42.7m metric tonnes in 2013.

Annual vessel arrival tonnage reached a record high of 2.37bn gt last year, representing a 1.9% increase year-on-year. Containerships and oil tankers were the top contributors, each accounting for around 30% of total vessel arrival tonnage.

“Singapore continues to attract a diverse range of maritime businesses and is now home to over 130 international shipping groups and a total of 5,000 maritime establishments. The maritime cluster employs more than 170,000 people and contributes some 7% to Singapore’s GDP,” MPA said in a statement.