Southeast Asia · Case study

Jurong Port, Port-Centric Supply Chain for Construction Materials

Jurong Port, SingaporeConstruction began in 2020; the RMC Ecosystem officially opened on 27 November 2024.

Jurong Port is a multipurpose port in Singapore that handles bulk construction materials. Its Cement Terminal handles more than 90% of Singapore's bulk cement imports and has an annual handling capacity of over 7.5 million tonnes (Jurong Port, n.d.-a). In 2020, Jurong Port began building a Ready-Mixed Concrete (RMC) Ecosystem that brings aggregates imports and concrete batching plants closer together (Jurong Port, 2023). The aim is to shorten the chain between the ship and the concrete plant for the main materials used in construction.

Approach

Co-locating materials and batching. The RMC Ecosystem combines RMC batching plants and a construction aggregates (sand and granite) terminal with handling and storage, alongside the cement and steel already handled at the port (Jurong Port, n.d.-b). Jurong Port states that this co-location will enable shorter, leaner and greener landward and seaward supply chains for construction materials in Singapore (Jurong Port, n.d.-b).

Direct discharge at deep berths. Jurong Port states that deep waterfront access for bulkers eliminates double handling, which lowers the cost of sourcing aggregates from distant places (Jurong Port, n.d.-b). The 547 meter wharf can berth up to three barges at once (Jurong Port, n.d.-b).

Conveyors in place of tipper trucks. Fixed and movable conveyors along the wharf move aggregates through a fully enclosed, automatic system to the storage facility and batching plant. Jurong Port states this will reduce the dependency on tipper trucks (Jurong Port, n.d.-b).

Enclosed cement handling and silo barges. At the Cement Terminal, an enclosed air-slide conveyor moves cement into storage silos (Jurong Port, n.d.-a). Cement can also be loaded onto custom-built silo barges and carried by sea to offshore projects in Singapore (Jurong Port, n.d.-c).

Results

Jurong Port's 2022 Environmental Sustainability Report states that using electric balance cranes and conveyors to transfer aggregates will reduce truck trips by 624,000 a year, equal to 18,900 tCO2e (Jurong Port, 2023). The RMC Ecosystem officially opened on 27 November 2024 (Jurong Port, 2024). These remain projections in this case study: the opening announcement does not provide measured annual savings.

Transferability

DMC ports that receive cement, sand and stone for national construction can plan berths, storage and batching plants next to each other. Direct discharge at deep berths and conveyors from quay to plant can replace repeated truck trips inside and around the port. Barges can carry materials onward to coastal or offshore sites. Ports should set a baseline for truck trips and emissions before such projects start, so the projected savings can be checked later.

Sources

All information used for this case study was based on publicly available resources.