Singapore’s Port congestion is showing signs of abating

SINGAPORE : The congestion that’s been plaguing Singapore’s port is showing signs of easing, with container ship arrivals falling to the lowest in more than a year last month, official data show.

Bloomberg reported that vessel arrivals, calculated by total shipping tonnage, were around 241 million tons in June, 10% less than the previous month and the lowest since February 2023, according to the figures from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Container throughput at the Asian shipping hub also dropped 5% in June from the month before to 3.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units, adding to signs the maritime logjam, caused by the rerouting of ships away from the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks, was beginning to ease.

Average wait times at the port are also getting shorter, according to The Business Times, as measures including the reactivation of some berths and yard space were implemented.

All in all, container volumes processed in Singapore were still up 6.4% in the first-half of 2024 as compared to the same period last year, according to MPA data.

June figures were down in part due to some vessel owners opting to unload or refuel at Malaysian ports to avoid delays. The attacks in the Red Sea are ongoing, meaning ships are still sailing around southern Africa, thereby not stopping at Middle Eastern ports.

Sales of shipping fuel in the city-state also fell in June, with consumption down 11% from a month earlier to 4.27 million tons, the MPA data showed. Volumes sold were still 8.7% higher from a year ago.