The diversion of vessels around the Cape of Good Hope has disrupted vessel arrival schedules at major ports around the world with off-schedule arrivals and has caused a "vessels bunching" effect, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

It said that this is also true for the Port of Singapore—one of the busiest in the world—which has seen a "significant increase" in vessel arrivals since the beginning of 2024.

Replying to media queries about reported vessels' extended waiting times for berths in the Port of Singapore, MPA said container volumes handled in the first four months of 2024 amounted to 13.36 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs)—an 8.8% increase over the same period last year.

"For the container vessels, we have seen large increases in container volumes and the 'bunching' of container vessel arrivals over the previous months due to supply chain disruptions in upstream locations," it said in a statement.

"The increase in container vessels arriving off-schedule and the increased container volumes handled in Singapore has resulted in longer vessels' wait time for a container berth," it added.

MPA noted that while most container vessels are berthed on arrival, port operator PSA has worked with liners to adjust arrival schedules where feasible, and where this is not feasible, the average waiting time for container vessels is about two to three days.

The increased demand for container handling in Singapore is a result of several container lines discharging more containers in Singapore as they forgo subsequent voyages to catch up on their next schedulesThe number of containers handled per vessel has also increased.

It added that, aside from these increased demands, container lines are also leveraging PSA's cargo handling capabilities to help manage their containers stowage onboard vessels and facilitate expeditious cargo discharge for their subsequent port calls.

"This is a sign of the confidence that container liners have in our port," MPA said.

MPA said together with The Ministry of Transport (MOT), it has been working with PSA and the industry since late 2023 to prepare for higher vessel arrivals.

PSA has since added more manpower and container handling capacity to help alleviate the situation. It has also reactivated older berths and yards that had previously been decanted at Keppel Terminal, increasing the number of containers handled weekly from 770,000 TEUs to 820,000 TEUs.

In addition to the eight existing berths in Tuas Port, MPA noted that three new berths would commence operations later this year, which will increase overall port handling capacity.

"PSA plans to accelerate these new berths to help increase overall container handling capacity in the near term," the statement said.

MPA and PSA are working closely with container lines and regional feeders to update them on berth availability and advise them on arrival times to minimise berthing delays.

No delayed berthing 

"There is no delayed berthing experienced for other vessels that call at Singapore, which is about two-thirds of vessel arrivals," MPA said. "There is currently no crowding in the anchorages."

The statement said MOT and MPA will continue to work closely with PSA to optimise the current port's capabilities and capacity to minimise the wait time for berths, including the proactive planning with container lines on their arrival time vis their berth availability. 

Meanwhile, MPA noted that for the tanker and bulk vessel segment, the resupply and bunkering activities take place within the anchorages, and these are not affected.