Large scale automation at Pasir Panjang Terminal and Tuas Mega Port, Singapore
A leading Southeast Asian case is the large-scale use of automation for safety-critical operations at PSA Singapore’s Pasir Panjang Terminal and the new Tuas Mega Port. (PSA International, n.d.; Prime Minister's Office Singapore, 2022)
When Pasir Panjang Terminal Phases 3 and 4 opened, PSA automated yard crane operations, so crane operators could work from a control center and oversee several semi-automated yard cranes at once, instead of climbing to a cabin at the top of each crane. Tuas Port, which began operations in December 2021 and will be completed in the 2040s, is designed as a fully automated container port using fully electric quay cranes, yard cranes and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). (PSA International, n.d.; Prime Minister's Office Singapore, 2022)
The safety-critical aspect lies in moving crane operators out of the yard and out of crane cabins. At Pasir Panjang and Tuas, operators supervise multiple automated yard cranes from a control center rather than from a cabin on each crane, work the PM described as physically demanding in the past. (Prime Minister's Office Singapore, 2022)
At Tuas, yard crane specialists are expected to oversee twice as many automated cranes at a time as at Pasir Panjang, indicating labor-productivity gains alongside safety improvements. (Prime Minister's Office Singapore, 2022)
From a safety standpoint, keeping personnel off the quayside and crane booms lowers the risk of falls, struck-by incidents and crane-truck collisions, although PSA does not publicly quantify accident reductions. Tuas Port's quay cranes, yard cranes and automated guided vehicles are fully electric. (PSA International, n.d.)
Overall, the Singapore case shows how automating safety-critical operations (crane handling, horizontal transport and yard management) can support worker safety, environmental performance and terminal competitiveness when supported by large-scale investment, robust digital infrastructure and comprehensive workforce retraining. (Prime Minister's Office Singapore, 2022)
Transferability
Full automation on Singapore's scale needs large investment, strong digital infrastructure and extensive workforce retraining, which many DMC ports cannot fund in one step. DMC ports can start by moving the most hazardous tasks, such as operating yard cranes from cabins, to supervision from a control center. Retraining operators for these roles should be planned alongside any automation. Ports should record accident data before and after so safety benefits can be shown.