Asia/Pacific News
Annual Singapore Bunker Sales Dip as Cargo Hits All-Time High
Bunker sales at the Port of Singapore dropped 1.2 percent in 2012 to 42.7 million tonnes, even as the cargo flowing through the port hit all all-time high, official data from Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has said.
The tonnage of vessels arriving at the port rose 6.1 percent year-over-year to 2.25 billion gross tonnes (gt), with tankers accounting for 30.8 percent of the tonnage and container ships representing 30.4 percent.
Container throughput rose 5.7 percent to 31.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), while total cargo rose 1.2 percent to 537.6 million tonnes, both representing record highs for the port.
The drop in bunker sales at the world's largest bunkering port came after a steady increase from 34.9 million tonnes in 2008 to 43.2 million tonnes in 2011.
Despite economic difficulties, the MPA said its registry of ships grew and Singapore has made progress toward becoming a leading International Maritime Centre.
More than 120 international shipping groups are now located in the city-state, and the maritime cluster employs more than 170,000 people and provides 7 percent of Singapore's Gross Domestic Product.
In May 2012 the port saw its highest monthly sales ever with 3.98 million tonnes, but bunker sales at the port also hit a nine-month low of 3.27 million tonnes in November.
