Singapore retains title as world’s busiest container port

Port of Singapore defies global supply chain problems to remain buoyant and remains in pole position as the world’s busiest container transhipment port.

Figures released on Twitter by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore reveal the port handled a total of 37.5 million TEU in 2021 – up 1.6% on the 2020 figure.

A TEU is a Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, the measurement used to determine cargo capacity for container ships and terminals. It’s derived from the dimensions of a 20-foot standardized shipping container

In total, Singapore handled 599 million tonnes of freight in 2021, higher than in 2020 but lower than in pre-pandemic times. Vessel figures for the port was 2.81 billion gross tonnage, marginally lower than that of 2020.

The four next-busiest ports – based on available data – are all Chinese: Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Shenzhen and Guangzhou Harbor.

Singapore also kept its position as the top bunkering port, registering a total sales volume of both conventional fuels and liquefied natural gas of about 50 million tonnes last year.

Bunkering is the storage of petroleum products in tanks, for refueling ships.

The latest news follows another accolade the port received, having been named as the world’s leading maritime city for a fifth consecutive year by DNV, the international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered in Norway.

Singapore’s performance comes at a time when international shipping has been hit by pandemic-induced restrictions of movement and a shortage of labour.

The Singapore Registry of Ships is ranked among the top five ship registries in the world, with the total tonnage of ships under the Singapore flag standing at 92.3 million gross tonnage as of December 2021.

Top is the Marshall Islands, followed by Panama, Liberia and Hong Kong.