SINGAPORE : Singapore retained its position as the world's
busiest port by shipping tonnage in 2004, according to latest
figures by the Maritime and Port Authority.
For the first time in the country's history, total vessel arrivals
by shipping tonnage crossed the 1 billion gross ton mark last year
to a record 1.04 billion gross tons.
This was a growth of nearly 6 percent over 2003.
The Port of Singapore also set new records in other key areas like
cargo throughput, container throughput, bunker sales and ship
registration.
At the end of 2004, there were 3,109 ships registered under the
Singapore flag, totalling nearly 28 million gross tons.
This is an 8.4 percent increase over 2003, extending Singapore's
position as the country with the largest merchant fleet in
Asia.
In terms of bunker sales, Singapore remained the world's top
bunkering hub.
It set a new benchmark of 23.6 million tonnes of bunkers sold last
year - 13 percent more than in 2003.
Container traffic for Singapore jumped 16 percent on-year in 2004
to hit 21.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs, the
industry standard measure.
The total cargo tonnage handled by the port rose 13 percent on year
to more than 393 million tonnes. - CNA