Singapore 2012 bunker sales drop 1.2% to 42.7 million mt
Singapore has seen a fall in bunker fuel sales volumes for the year 2012, to 42.7 million mt, down 1.2% on 2011, amid "another challenging year for the maritime sector," Singapore Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew said at the Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year reception late Thursday.
As a comparison, 2011 saw 43.2 million mt, an all-time record high. Despite the year-on-year drop in volumes, Singapore has "remained the world's top bunkering port...for 2012," Lui added, Platts reports.
December bunker sales volume data is not yet available but unofficial estimates put it at 3.64 million mt. "Our advance estimates indicate that our container throughput for 2012 crossed the 30 million TEUs [twenty-foot equivalent unit] milestone to stand at 31.6 million TEUs, a historic high for the Port of Singapore," Lui said.
This is up 5.7% from 2011's 29.9 million TEUs, and would mean unofficial estimates for December are around 2.57 million TEUs.
Total cargo tonnage handled last year rose 1.2% to reach 537.6 million tonnes, also a new record for the Port of Singapore, according to an official MPA statement late Thursday.
"We also maintained our global lead in vessel arrival tonnage with 2.25 billion gross tons (gt) for 2012, an increase of 6.1% from 2011," the minister said.
Tankers and container ships were the top contributors, accounting for 30.8% and 30.4% of the total vessel arrival tonnage, respectively.
The total tonnage of vessels under the Singapore Registry of Ships grew by 13.2% or 7.7 million gt in 2012. As of end-December, the total tonnage of ships under the Singapore flag was 65.0 million gt, putting Singapore among the top 10 ship registries in the world, according to the MPA statement.
Looking forward, Lui said: "Demand for shipping remains volatile as the global economy struggles to recover. Weak freight rates, together with high fuel costs, excess tonnage and environmental concerns, continue to weigh down the industry. On the bright side, there continues to be strong growth in the offshore and marine sectors."
"MPA will continue to invest in initiatives to help strengthen the capabilities of maritime companies, so that Maritime Singapore will be well-positioned to seize opportunities when the shipping industry recovers," he added.
