Fueling Connectivity: World’s only mid-air storage yard boosts port efficiency

World
Europe

02:16

Singapore's port is a major pivot point in the world's logistics network. But space in the densely-populated city-state is scarce, which is why one Chinese company has come up with a pie-in-the-sky idea to improve storage efficiency. CGTN's Zhao Yunfei explains.

The port of Singapore is one of the world's busiest with a high density of containers and ships. It is also the first stop abroad for most outbound shipping vessels from China.

ADRIAN SIM, ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT PASIR PANJANG TERMINAL, PSA CORPORATION "The port of Singapore lies in a very strategic position in the Strait of Malacca, so the ships passing from China, going to Europe and beyond all past through this Strait of Malacca via Singapore."

ZHAO YUNFEI SINGAPORE "I am standing on the top of a warehouse. The roof is renovated to pile containers, in a space-saving effort here at the Port of Singapore. This innovative work makes it the world's only mid-air storage yard."

About 16,000 containers are piled onto this roof, 50 meters above the ground. Company managers say as demand rises, they are about to build a second facility just like this.

RANDAL KE, MANAGER COGENT CONTAINER DEPOT PTE "When the volume increases, we have to manage the flow. More importantly, this is a building. Everyday, we have about 700 trucks moving in and out. We have to react very quickly to any traffic jams."

As one of the globe's largest maritime terminals, the Port of Singapore continues to improve its services and efficiency to make itself more competitive. The nation also stays loyal to its cooperation partners from China.

GU JINSONG, PRESIDENT COSCO SHIPPING SOUTH EAST ASIA PTE "The port of Singapore has very fast operation, very efficient. So for future, we think there's a lot of potential to work together. We use Singapore as a regional hub to develop our southeast whole region."

With a geographical advantage, Singapore has provided reliable services to Chinese shipping companies carrying goods internationally, a friendly cooperation that has, in turn, connected many parts of the world. Zhao Yunfei, CGTN, Singapore.