RECLAMATION (PASIR PANJANG)

The Minister for Law (Prof. S. Jayakumar): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the Motion* standing in my name as it appears on the Order Paper.

*The Motion reads as follows:

That this parliament, in accordance with Section 4 of the Foreshore Act (Chapter 113), approves the reclamation by Government of the foreshore and seabed at Pasir Panjang containing an area of approximately 122 hectares as shown coloured yellow on the plan marked "LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO 2/92", which is deposited at the Land Office, Singapore.

Sir, the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) plays a vital role in maintaining Singapore's economic health. Since 1985, Singapore's container traffic has grown at a compound rate of 25% a year. This growth is expected to continue, although at a lower compound rate of 12% a year for the rest of this decade. The basis for this high increase in container throughput is the continued buoyant economic growth in Singapore and in the region.

PSA's existing terminals at Tanjong Pagar and Pulau Brani are designed for a combined annual handling capacity of 10 million twenty-foot equivalent units (MTEUs). However, by 1996, PSA will require a new container terminal at Pasir Panjang to cope with the growing volume of containerised cargo. Reclamation of land will be required for this new terminal. Implementation of the new container port will be done in four main phases, spanning a period of some 30 years.

The first phase will involve reclamation of 122 hectares starting in early 1993. The reclamation for this first phase will take three years to complete at an estimated cost of $393 million. This will enable PSA to build eight main container berths at Pasir Panjang. The area to be reclaimed is shown coloured yellow on the Land Office Reclamation Plan No. 2/92, a copy of which is displayed in the Library of this House for the information of hon. Members.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Parliament, in accordance with Section 4 of the Foreshore Act (Chapter 113), approves the reclamation by Government of the foreshore and seabed at Pasir Panjang containing an area of approximately 122 hectares as shown coloured yellow on the plan marked "LAND OFFICE RECLAMATION PLAN NO 2/92", which is deposited at the Land Office, Singapore.