Port of Singapore performed solidly in 2012 despite heavy headwinds

Container and cargo throughput grew to record highs.

Also, the Port of Singapore maintained its global lead in annual vessel arrival tonnage and bunker sales.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore reports that for the first time, container throughput crossed the 30 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) milestone in 2012, which the agency called "a historic high" for the Port of Singapore. The Singapore Registry of Ships also continued to grow in size and ranks among the top 10 worldwide.

"Good progress has been made in developing Singapore as a leading International Maritime Centre. Singapore continues to attract a diverse range of maritime businesses to establish operations here and is now home to more than 120 international shipping groups. The maritime cluster employs more than 170,000 people and contributes some seven per cent to Singapore's Gross Domestic Product," added MPA.

Here's a breakdown of the performance statistics from MPA:

Vessel Arrival Tonnage. Annual vessel arrival tonnage reached a record high of 2.25 billion gross tons (GT) in 2012, an increase of 6.1 per cent from the 2.12 billion GT achieved in 2011. Tankers and container ships were the top contributors, accounting for 30.8 per cent and 30.4 per cent of the total vessel arrival tonnage respectively.

Container and Cargo Throughput. Container throughput was a record high of 31.6 million TEUs in 2012, a 5.7 per cent increase over the 29.9 million TEUs in 2011. Total cargo tonnage handled last year rose 1.2 per cent over 2011 to reach 537.6 million tonnes, also a new record for the Port of Singapore.

Bunker Sales. The total volume of bunkers sold in the Port of Singapore in 2012 fell 1.2 per cent to register 42.7 million tonnes, compared to 43.2 million tonnes in 2011. Despite the decline in bunker sales, Singapore remained the world's top bunkering port.

The Singapore Registry of Ships. The Singapore Registry of Ships did well last year. The total tonnage of ships under our register grew by 13.2 per cent or 7.7 million GT in 2012. As of end December 2012, 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.