The total volume represents a rise of 9.1% over 2017, with flagship PSA Singapore contributing 36.31 million TEUs and PSA terminals outside Singapore handling 44.69 million TEUs during the year.

“2018 was a dual-speed year. The slow but steady pace of global container trade growth continued, despite geo-political shifts and rising trade barriers,” Tan Chong Meng, Group CEO of PSA, said.

“At the same time, there was a surge in digitalisation activities within the global supply chain which promised better visibility and efficiency, while the industry continues to grapple with issues of data standardisation and collaboration.”

Speaking about PSA’s plans for 2019, the CEO said that the group would continue to build on its global network of ports while leading the charge towards co-creating an Internet of Logistics – an ecosystem that is plug-and-play, that links up a mesh of communities through interoperability, and which allows the company to innovate boldly.