Singapore’s Mega Terminal Construction Kicks Off
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Monday, May 2, 2016
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has started the construction of a new container terminal at the western end of the island to replace existing container port facilities and consolidate operations for the long term.
The first phase of the Tuas Terminal project will have 20 deepwater berths with an initial capacity to handle an annual traffic of 20 million twenty-foot-container equivalent units (TEUs), rising to 65 million TEUs when completed by 2046.
The start of construction was marked on Friday by Singapore’ Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan with the launching the first caisson.
“The Tuas Terminal is a centrepiece of Singapore’s Next Generation Port vision and demonstrates our strong commitment to strengthening and sustaining our leadership position as a global hub port and International Maritime Centre,” said Andrew Tan, chief executive of MPA.
Reclamation work on the project’s first phase is expected to be completed early next decade while Singapore aims to progressively close down and relocate older terminals located near the city centre.
In February 2015, the MPA awarded an S$2.4 billion contract to a joint venture between Singapore-based Dredging International Asia Pacific (DIAP) and South Korea’s Daelim Industrial to undertake land reclamation and related works for the port’s phase one development.
The joint venture firm has signed onto to reclaim 294 hectares, dredge the Tuas basin and Temasek Fairway, and construct the wharf structure.