SIMIC

The maximum handling capacity is 44 million TEU per annum, he noted, according to Singapore's Business Times.

Mr Chee was speaking in response to a parliamentary question about the easing and "normalisation" of global supply chain congestions and their impact on Singapore's seaport.

Noting that the Port of Singapore remained open throughout the pandemic, Mr Chee said the Maritime Port Authority worked closely with port operator PSA and the unions to open additional berths and yards. They also deployed more port workers and equipment to handle surges in container volumes.

Singapore's port, which served as a "catch-up" port for ships that faced delays elsewhere, handled a record high container throughput of 37.5 million TEU last year, Mr Chee said.

"As more berths at Tuas Port are completed, our handling capacity will increase further and provide sufficient capacity to handle future growth in volume," he told Parliament.

In a supplementary question, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Saktiandi Supaat asked if there could be a possible scenario in 2023 where activity picks up substantially. If so, the question is whether Singapore has enough manpower and resources to handle this.

Noting that the New York Fed's global supply chain pressure index falling for the fifth straight month, Mr Saktiandi said: "My concern is that there could be a potential scenario where you could see an untangling or transport snarls, which is happening just as fast as the system knotted up previously last year."

Mr Chee said Singapore's shipping lines and port operators are used to dealing with the up and down cycles of the shipping industry.

"One of the key drivers of port container volumes is actually global trade and supply chains, and there are some signs of certain sectors like manufacturing, for example, actually slowing down," he said.

"So while some of the factors may point towards increases in trade volumes, there are also other factors that actually point the opposite direction."

Regardless of the cycles, Mr Chee said what is critical is the strong tripartite partnerships between the government, employers and unions, and this has helped to keep Singapore's port competitiveness.

He added also that Singapore's port is deploying technology such as autonomous vehicles to help raise productivity with fewer workers.