Three more berths will come into operation at Singapore’s Tuas Port by the end of the 2022.

The Singapore Ministry of Transport (MOT) made the announcement during the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s National Rally day, where he updated citizens on the latest on the in-development 65 million TEU port.

Port operations at Tuas Port Phase 1 will have 21 deep-water berths that can handle 20 million TEU annually when fully operational in 2027.

The first two berths in Tuas Port Phase 1 started operations in Dec 2021 on schedule, and three more berths will start operations by Dec 2022.

Port operator PSA aims to move over all their operations at Tanjong Pagar1, Keppel, and Brani Terminals to Tuas Port by 2027. Operations at Pasir Panjang Terminal will be consolidated at Tuas Port by the 2040s.

When fully completed in the 2040s, Tuas Port will have a handling capacity of 65 million TEU, almost double the volume of 37.5 million TEU handled in 2021. Currently, Pasir Panjang Terminal has 37 berths with a handling capacity of 34 million TEU annually.

Prime Minister Loong commented during his rally day address: “[Tuas Port] serves not just Singapore, but many countries around us. A decade ago, Asia was growing strongly, and we anticipated that PSA’s business would grow with it.”

The Prime Minister also outlined the port’s digitalisation initiatives, noting Tuas Port will, upon completion, be the world’s largest fully automated port, using AI to coordinate operations, including vessel traffic management and port clearance.

Instead of trucks with drivers, it deploys a fleet of driverless AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles), Prime Minister Loong added.

PSA will also deploy a private 5G network to support 5G-enabled AGVs and Automated Cranes at Tuas Port and the current Pasir Panjang Terminal.

Alongside electrified equipment and vehicles such as AGVs which reduces carbon emission by about 50 per cent compared to current diesel prime movers, PSA will also use a smart grid management system and construct green buildings.

Reclamation works have been underway for Phase 2 since March 2018, and the port has now commenced planning for Tuas Port Phase 3.

Earlier this year PSA Singapore announced it has partnered with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) to develop a new solution for use at Tuas Port.