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A new milestone was set in Singapore's maritime history today when annual vessel arrival tonnage at the port crossed the two billion gross tonnes (GT) mark for the first time.

Commenting on the achievement, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said: "This achievement is a reflection of the good growth of the Port of Singapore despite uncertainties in the global economy. To-date, vessel arrival tonnage for 2011 has grown by more than 10 percent, compared to the same period last year. This growth has helped to cement Singapore's position as the world's busiest port by vessel arrival tonnage."

A ceremony to commemorate the crossing of the two billion GT milestone was held this afternoon at PSA's Pasir Panjang Terminal. The ceremony was graced by Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and some 100 guests from the maritime industry.

The vessel that crossed the two billion GT mark was MV APL Washington, a container ship of 75,582 GT. At the ceremony, the Master of MV APL Washington and the Group President and CEO of NOL were presented with mementoes by Minister Lui.

"We are very happy to witness the crossing of the two billion GT milestone, especially with it coming just 7 years after we crossed the one billion GT mark for the first time. The good growth we have seen over the years is possible only because of the strong support from our partners, stakeholders and customers. We would like to thank them for their support and look forward to working with them to continue to grow the Port of Singapore," said MPA Chief Executive, Mr Lam Yi Young.

"NOL congratulates the Port of Singapore on this milestone. We are proud to be a contributor to its success. NOL makes more than 900 port calls here annually. We appreciate the high service level at the Port of Singapore, and value the support of and partnership with the MPA," said NOL Group President and CEO, Mr Ng Yat Chung.

The one billion GT mark in annual vessel arrival tonnage was first crossed in 2004 by the vessel MV Cosco Shanghai, a container ship of 65,531 GT.