Port of Singapore

The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in harbours and which handle Singapore's shipping. Currently the world's second-busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage, it also trans-ships a fifth of the world's shipping containers, half of the world's annual supply of crude oil, and is the world's busiest transshipment port. It was also the busiest port in terms of total cargo tonnage handled until 2005, when it was surpassed by the Port of Shanghai. Thousands of ships drop anchor in the harbour, connecting the port to over 600 other ports in 123 countries and spread over six continents.

The Port of Singapore is not a mere economic boon, but an economic necessity because Singapore is lacking in land and natural resources. The Port is critical for importing natural resources, and then later re-exporting products after they have been refined and shaped in some manner, for example wafer fabrication or oil refining to generate revenue. The service industries such as hospitality services typical of a port of call restock the food and water supplies on ships. Ships pass between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean through the Singapore Strait. The Straits of Johor on the country's north are impassable for ships due to the Johor-Singapore Causeway, built in 1923, which links the city of Woodlands, Singapore to Johor Bahru in Malaysia.

Singapore

Singapore (ⁱ/ˈsɪŋɡəpɔːr/), officially the Republic of Singapore, and often referred to as the Lion City, the Garden City, and the Red Dot, is a global city in Southeast Asia and the world's only island city-state. It lies one degree (137 km) north of the equator, at the southernmost tip of continental Asia and peninsular Malaysia, with Indonesia's Riau Islands to the south. Singapore's territory consists of the diamond-shaped main island and 62 islets. Since independence, extensive land reclamation has increased its total size by 23% (130 km²), and its greening policy has covered the densely populated island with tropical flora, parks and gardens.

The islands were settled from the second century AD by a series of local empires. In 1819, Sir Stamford Raffles founded modern Singapore as a trading post of the East India Company; after the company collapsed, the islands were ceded to Britain and became part of its Straits Settlements in 1826. During World War II, Singapore was occupied by Japan. It gained independence from Britain in 1963, by uniting with other former British territories to form Malaysia, but was expelled two years later over ideological differences. After early years of turbulence, and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation developed rapidly as an Asian tiger economy, based on external trade and its human capital.

Time Lapse

Time Lapse is the first live album by guitarist Steve Hackett. The album is drawn from live performances at the Savoy Theater in New York City (during the Cured tour) and at Central TV Studios in Nottingham.

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Hackett, except where indicated.

Credits

Nottingham

New York

Tracks 1–5, 13–14 recorded at Central TV Studios, Nottingham, October 1990

Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (Abbreviation: MPA; Chinese: 新加坡海事及港务管理局, Pinyin: Xīnjiāpō hǎishì jí gǎngwù gúanlǐjú; Malay: Lembaga Pelabuhan dan Maritim Singapura) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore.

History

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was established on 2 February 1996 by the MPA Act of 1996 through the merger of the Marine Department, National Maritime Board and the Regulatory departments of the former Port of Singapore Authority.

Role

As Port Authority, MPA regulates and manages port and marine services, facilities and activities within the Singapore waters. This includes vessel traffic and navigational safety and security, through regulation on operational efficiency and on the environment.

As Developer and Promoter, MPA works with other government agencies and maritime industry partners to make Singapore a leading global hub port and a top international maritime centre. Its aims include attracting a core group of shipowners and operators to set up operations in Singapore, broadening the breadth and depth of maritime ancillary services offered here, and improving on the business environment for the maritime industry.

Port authority

In Canada and the United States, port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure.

Most port authorities are financially self-supporting. In addition to owning land, setting fees, and sometimes levying taxes, port districts can also operate shipping terminals, airports, railroads, and irrigation facilities.

Port authorities are usually governed by boards or commissions, which are commonly appointed by governmental chief executives, often from different jurisdictions. In Canada, the federal Minister of Transport selects the local chief executive board member and the rest of the board is appointed at the recommendation of port users to the federal Minister; while all Canadian port authorities have a federal or Crown charter called Letters Patent.

In Mexico, the federal government created sixteen port administrations in 1994–1995 called Administración Portuaria Integral (API) in Spanish, as result of the Ley de Puertos of 1993. These are organized as variable capital corporations (Sociedad Anónima de Capital Variable or S.A. de C.V.), with the intent of creating more private investment in a state owned sector.