18 LUMEN | PROGRAMMES
The Nation ’ s
Port Call of
36 Economics students explored the grounds of PSA ’ s Pasir Panjang Terminal during their invaluable visit on 19 February . Alexander Chew and Glenda Goh share what they learnt from this trip .
We began at the PSA Head office where we met Mr Goh Mia Hock , Head of Group Process Excellence and his team . We learnt about the pivotal role that our Singapore port played in the country ’ s rapid economic growth and progress . During the entire corporate briefing and port tour , we gained a deeper insight into the extensive port investments and innovations that helped to propel PSA to become the world ’ s busiest transhipment hub .
PSA ’ s roots go as far back to the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819 and the declaration of Singapore as a free port . Formerly known as the Port Authority of Singapore , PSA has since grown to be the corporation we know now , contributing to almost one-seventh of the world ’ s total container transhipment throughput and more than 4 % of the global container throughput . In 2018 alone , PSA handled a record high of 36.31 million TEUs ( twenty-foot equivalent units ) of containers , a testament to the efficient and extraordinary capabilities of PSA ’ s operations .
We also learnt that despite rising competition from Malaysia , China and Thailand , PSA managed to remain competitive by constantly improving its services , mainly through innovation and technology . As a result , PSA is able to strengthen its operational efficiency which resulted in cost savings for its customers , for example by cutting the waiting time in the berths . PSA also continues to invest in port infrastructure such as the building of a larger port in Tuas to accommodate larger ships that can handle an increased number of containers .
After a visit to the PSA Head Office , we proceeded to the Pasir Panjang Terminal , where we had the rare opportunity to observe how PSA solves the logistical complexities of moving millions of its TEUs through its port by staying at the forefront of cutting-edge port technology and solutions . One of the highlights of the PSA Port Tour was a visit to its Living Lab to preview the future Tuas Mega Port , where we were introduced to the latest innovations that would elevate PSA ’ s status to become Singapore ’ s next-generation port .
One of these was PSA ’ s Automated Guided Vehicles ( AGV ) which will be used to efficiently move millions of TEUs at PSA ’ s ports and help reduce cost . Meanwhile , the PSA staff also explained the company ’ s emphasis on ongoing staff training and skills upgrade so that they can take on higher value-added jobs as the port becomes more capital intensive and automated . We were impressed that many of these innovations were customised to PSA ’ s operational use . For example , all of us were given the rare opportunity to witness the highly unusual ‘ S ’ -shaped AGV maneuvers which were specially designed to optimise the AGVs transport of the TEUs within the port by shortening the travel time while maintaining the accuracy of the deliveries and preventing collisions . The new technologies invented at the Living Lab , as well as in specialised research facilities , are piloted at two operational berths at the Pasir Panjang Terminal but will eventually be rolled out at the future Tuas Mega Port .
Despite the vast complexities of the port business , PSA is able to move its containers seamlessly and efficiently from one shipping line to another with many of them carrying around 3,000 TEUs . We could not help but leave the port with a renewed sense of pride in PSA ’ s as a worldclass company and a compelling port of choice of global shipping lines .