Page 12 - Layout 1
P. 12
Regional Focus
Singapore
Port of Singapore
maintains top spot
Douglas Inch, Executive Secretary of the Singapore Association of are location, location and location! Singapore has location in
Ship Suppliers, reports on the current market in the regionabundance, as was recognised when Sir Stamford Rafles set up
his Trade Post in the early 1800s. Pretty much all of shipping’s
The Port of Singapore has maintained the number one west-to-east and east-to-west movements must transit the
position on the international scale in recent years, and narrow seaway between Singapore and Indonesia. Couple
that is exactly where the Republic’s government intends that with the comprehensive range of replenishment and
that it will stay.other services available – bunkers, lubes, ship-stores, technical
The Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is a support, medical support, etc – and even if Singapore is not the
highly focused and energetic arm of Government. Through the ship’s destination, there are a host of good reasons to either
port operating companies – PSA, Jurong Port etc – the facilities make a call or even just slow-down while transiting the Outer
are of the highest order and are forever being ine-tuned to Port Limit areas.
meet the needs of the industry. For example, an absolutely Things may be stacked to Singapore’s advantage but
state-of-the-art container port when it was completed not support industries that operate within the Republic are not
many years ago can already almost hear the wrecking crews complacent. They know only too well that ship operators can
approaching as plans are inalised for a newer and grander choose where they bunker, take stores or whatever. The port
container facility in the Tuas Basin area. Perhaps a slight needs to be and is inancially competitive, but probably of even
greater importance, the quality of service and workmanship
exaggeration, but Singapore does not stand still!
Realistically, if Singapore can’t be in the number one must be faultless.
position something is wrong. When we invest in property we When viewed as a slice of the ship-operating cake, and
are always told that the three most important considerationscertainly when compared to crew costs and bunkers, ship
10 The SHIP Supplier 60th Anniversary Edition 1955-2015