Two engineering projects from Singapore were awarded the ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Achievement Awards 2022 for their engineering skills and significant contributions to engineering progress and quality of life in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries. The award ceremony was held at the 40th Conference of the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations (CAFEO 40) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 7 December 2022.
The first winning project is Tuas Port Phase 1 (TPP1), a reclamation, wharf construction and dredging project by Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte Ltd. Completed in November 2021, the project marked a significant milestone in the Singapore Government’s long-term plan to develop the Tuas port to be the largest fully-automated containerised terminal at a single location in the world by 2040. Consisting of 21 deep-water berths that can handle 20 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually, TPP1 carried out about 120 hectares of soil improvement works on existing land; 294 hectares of reclamation filling and soil improvement works at existing sea area; and 8.6 kilometres of caissons wharf construction works. TPP1 is recognised for its adoption of innovative and sustainable engineering solutions and green initiatives to reduce carbon footprint.
The second project is the Samwoh Innovation Centre (Samwoh) for the use of plastic waste to construct durable asphalt pavement. A research study initiated jointly by Samwoh and Singapore Polytechnic (SP) in 2019 showed that the use of certain types of plastic waste in asphalt can increase its service life by about 40 per cent and save about 20 per cent of costs as compared to conventional asphalt.
In 2021, the total volume of plastic waste generated was 982,000 metric tonnes, which made up around 15 per cent of the total waste generated in Singapore, but only six per cent of it was recycled. The rest was incinerated and the residue being used for landfill. With the potential of plastic asphalt in boosting plastic waste recycling rate and reducing carbon emissions arising from road maintenance, this project could make significant contributions to the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and promote a circular economy. —Construction+ Online
