Speaking at the inauguration, Tan Chong Meng, group CEO of PSA International, said: “As an enabler of global trade, PSA has contributed to Singapore’s success as an open and connected trading economy. Tuas Port provides us with an opportunity to reinvigorate this mission for the digital age and I believe it will further boost trade growth flowing through Singapore. 

“By dovetailing our port operations with the greater ecosystem in Tuas and through collaborating with likeminded partners for integrated intermodal solutions, we can better navigate the growing complexities of global supply chains.”

With regard to equipment, ZPMC had earlier completed the delivery of 20 double-trolley STS cranes. These were shipped in five batches of four cranes each, with the last four units departing Shanghai in March. According to ZPMC, the cranes are “by far the fastest” automated quay cranes in operation today, with a maximum trolley speed of 270m/min.

The STS cranes are operated by automation and remote control. AGVs will deliver containers to ASCs that manage the yard. PSA has ASCs at Pasir Panjang where one remote operator controls several yard cranes, but Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Tuas Port “takes this automation several steps further. At Tuas a ‘yard crane specialist’ will be able to oversee twice as many automated cranes at a single time compared with Pasir Panjang”.

The Prime Minister spoke extensively about how PSA has prepared its workforce for the new operation at Tuas. As well as crane operators retraining to work with new technology, he mentioned terminal planners, using an example of one planner who, over the past 10 years, has continually upgraded and learned new skills that are needed in the new automated terminal environment. He emphasised that Tuas Port represents the “transformation” of both the port and its workforce, and was made possible by the coming together of PSA, the Maritime and Ports Authority of Singapore, unions and workers.

In Singapore’s view, this “tripartite” relationship built on trust is a “crucial competitive advantage for Singapore”, said Lee. He thanked PSA, its unions and workers who “grasped the importance of this mission”.

While Singapore has made it a national ambition to see that Tuas is a success, a report this month from the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission highlighted the difficulty terminal operators in that country have faced in leveraging automation to achieve productivity gains in an environment where unions continue to fight against automation.

The federal government tasked the Commission with unA new AGV manufactured by China’s Tri Rings Group dertaking an inquiry “into the long-term productivity of Australia’s maritime logistics system”. Despite the relatively high level of terminal automation in Australia, the Commission noted that “Australian ports do not compare well against international peers” in crane productivity.

The Commission was unable to find any conclusive evidence to show that increased levels of automation had improved productivity. However, it did find that there are “compelling arguments that workplace arrangements have adversely affected productivity”. The Maritime Union of Australia has continued to fight automation, and the work practices around the operator roles at Australian terminals are such that they limit the ability of terminal operators to get the full benefits out of investments in new technology. See p21-22 for a full report. 

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This complete item is approximately 575 words in length, and appeared in the September 2022 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 1. To access this issue download the PDF here