SINGAPORE (April 29): Construction of the first phase of Singapore’s mega-port terminal in Tuas officially began on Friday.

The terminal will have 20 deep-water berths capable of handling about 20 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per annum under the first development phase. It will have a total capacity of up to 65 million TEUs.

The terminal will be developed in four phases over some 30 years, with the Phase 1 reclamation works scheduled to be completed by early 2020s.

It will incorporate new features such as optimising land use by utilising both above and underground spaces for complementary purposes such as storage facilities; enhancing the safety and security of the port waters via a next-generation traffic management system; and increasing productivity and reducing labour costs through the use of technology such as automated yard cranes and port equipment.