The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore MPA announced on Tuesday that the first two berths at the upcoming Tuas Port are expected to be operational by the end of the year, with the completion of reclamation works for the first phase of the mega port project. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore MPA said on Tuesday that 294 ha of newly reclaimed land is equivalent to 412 football fields.
The construction and installation of tall caissons -- 15,000 tonne concrete structures used to create wharves -- to form 8.6 km of seawall included in the first phase.
In a media release, MPA said the Tuas Port, which will be completed over four phases in the 2040s, is expected to be capable of handling 65 million TEUs 20 foot equivalent units annually double the 36 million TEUs Singapore s port can handle.
It added that the Tuas Port will be an automated, intelligent and sustainable port, with automated yard cranes and driverless automated guided vehicles to transport containers between the yard and wharf, which will occupy about 1,337 ha of land when completed.
The completion of Phase 1 reclamation for Tuas Port is a significant milestone and shows our resilience amid adversity, and affirming Singapore's status as a reliable global hub port trusted by partners, said Minister for Transport S Iswaran.
In an event marking the completion of reclamation works for the first phase, Mr Iswaran said that MPA has been able to achieve cost savings of more than S $1 billion for Phase 1.
At the same time, MPA chairman Niam Chiang Meng said reclamation works were underway for Phase 2 of the mega port, noting this would involve the construction of 9.1 km of caissons.
He said that the authorities are moving ahead with plans for Phase 3 at the event, which also commemorated MPA's 25th anniversary.
Niam said that the agency is partnering with others to build an ecosystem around the Tuas Port and prepare for future disruptions, such as the advent of maritime autonomous surface ships.
We have started developing autonomous technologies with our technological partners. He said that they had just had three trials completed successfully and that they are looking forward to more developments in that area.
He said that MPA has established a network to align standards for such autonomous ships to seamlessly operate across different ports.