SINGAPORE: Port operator PSA Singapore is gearing up for the year ahead with more advanced technology. Automated vehicles at Tuas Port will be getting a 5G upgrade so they can track the movement of cargo from berths to ships in real time, with the help of telcos Singtel and Ericsson. PSA’s moves are in line with plans to build the world’s largest fully automated port in about two decades to meet the rapidly rising demand for global trans-shipment.
Over the next three years, PSA will also be exploring 5G applications in areas such as predictive maintenance, which involves drone-based surveillance and extended reality applications. This will help the operator to detect potential issues in a more timely fashion and pre-empt equipment failure, improving efficiency and reducing costly downtime. Such advanced solutions could come in handy in the event of incidents that shocked the sector earlier this year, like the Red Sea attacks .
Ships were forced to reroute, resulting in delays . In May, vessels that used to take less than a day to dock were waiting up to a week in Singapore. Going into 2025, manufacturers in Singapore are similarly doubling down on tech adoption to secure supply chains and predict potential shocks.
CHANGES ON THE HORIZON Firms will have to continue cushioning themselves against geopolitical tensions, supply chain diversification and the impact of technology including artificial intelligence, said Associate Professor Goh Puay Guan from the Department of Ana.
