The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Dredging International Asia Pacific-Daelim Joint Venture (DDJV) have inked a contract for the USD 1.83 billion Tuas Terminal Phase 1 Reclamation, Wharf Construction and Dredging Project.
The Tuas Terminal Phase 1 project is large in scope, and entails the construction of a new port terminal with 20 deep-water berths having a total capacity of 20 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per annum.
The Joint Venture will be responsible for the erection of an 8.6-kilometre quay wall and its foundation, the dredging of the fairway and basins, as well as the reclamation of 294 hectares of new land.
Once completed, the project is anticipated to create opportunities for local companies, including those in vessel management and civil engineering.
The idea of a mega port at Tuas was proposed by the Government’s Economic Strategies Committee in 2010. Tuas is suitable given its “sheltered deep waters and proximity to (Singapore’s) major industrial areas and international shipping routes”.
Tuas Port will be a long-term project rolled out in phases, with the first set of berths to be operational in about 10 years.
The target is for Tuas Port to handle up to 65 million TEUs a year, nearly double the current total container handling capacity of 35 million TEUs. It will also result in greater efficiency.
Now, Singapore has five container terminals – Tanjong Pagar, Keppel, Brani, Pasir Panjang Terminal 1 and Pasir Panjang Terminal 2. Containers are often trucked between these terminals for transhipment, adding to time taken, business costs and road congestion.