The mega port in Tuas will continue to be developed in three more phases and is expected to be fully operational from 2040. The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) noted that the installation of the 221st and final caisson was critical as it allowed the completion of the wharf’s construction as well as for the first few berths to be operationally ready.
With the final caisson installed on Tuesday (23 April), the Tuas Terminal mega port is on track to start its first phase of operations by 2021 with two berths, reported Channel NewsAsia.
The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) noted that the installation of the 221st and final caisson was critical as it allowed the completion of the wharf’s construction as well as for the first few berths to be operationally ready.
About 10-storey HDB blocks tall, caissons are prefabricated box-like concrete structures that are transported offshore and sunk into water in order to form part of the permanent wharf line.
MPA revealed that the usage of caissons to create a deep foundation led to improved quality of the wharf structure.
It added that the laying of caissons and the foundational land created by land reclamation processes will be transferred to PSA to enable the port operator to start construction on terminal facilities and container yards.
Tuas Terminal’s two berths will operate alongside container terminals at Keppel, Pasir Panjang and Brani, which would be progressively shut down upon the expiration of their lease and port operations are consolidated at Tuas from 2027.
PSA expects the berths at Tuas to raise its handling capacity as well as complement current port operations. It said that the berths could handle “mega container vessels”, which include “the world’s largest container vessel”.
Costing $2.42 billion, construction works for Tuas Terminal’s Phase 1 commenced in 2015, with 294 hectares of land reclaimed, said MPA. It will have 21 deep-water berths which could handle around 20 million standard-sized container units per year.
The mega port in Tuas will continue to be developed in three more phases and is expected to be fully operational from 2040. It can eventually handle an annual cargo of up to 65 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
“The capacity of up to 65 million TEUs per annum enables us to meet future demands and to maintain Singapore’s competitive edge, strengthening our Global Hub Port status. When (the) Tuas container terminal is fully developed in 2040s, it will become the world’s largest container terminal located in a single location,” said Tham Wai Wah, MPA’s chief engineer and director of engineering & project management.
For more information on the government’s Master Plans for existing and new areas in Singapore, check out AreaInsider.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
