SINGAPORE's projected Tuas port is already being used to store containers, as an emergency measure to meet the current global supply chain disruption crisis, reports Singapore's Strait Times.
Still-open ports like Singapore have been faced with congestion, with the number of containers stuck in transit awaiting shipment.
Yard capacity that opened at Tuas port last month is in addition to the 65,000 TEU capacity made available at the Keppel terminal late last year.
This is as more than 2,500 locals were added to the maritime workforce, boosting the number of port workers 20 per cent.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat said that Singapore is trying its best to help cargo ships make up for lost time, and more yard space can be made available when necessary.
"We have become the go-to port for shipping lines to catch up on lost time and connections, and also to untangle some of their operational challenges," he said.
"As more ships come to Singapore to make use of our one-stop service and catch-up service, it does also add on to the queues and the waiting times," Mr Chee said.
Mr Chee said it is difficult to assess what the overall impact on other goods the supply crisis, which has so far most adversely impacted higher-value products, will have.
But Singapore has widened its supply sources, including for food. "The more diversified, the more wide-ranging our supply sources are, the greater the confidence that will be in terms of being able to withstand any cyclical source disruption," he said.
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