Press Release

PSA Corporation Named Finalist for the 2000 Computerworld Smithsonian Awards for its Unique Computer Integrated Terminal Operations System

PSA Corporation Limited (PSA), the world's largest transhipment hub, has come in among the top five finalists for the 2000 Computerworld Smithsonian Award (Transportation Category) for its Computer Integrated Terminal Operations System (CITOS®).

The Smithsonian Award results were announced on 5 June 2000 at a gala dinner attended by more than 800 global Information Technology industry leaders and professionals in Washington D.C.

PSA pioneered and successfully developed CITOS® over the years into the e-nerve centre that drives all PSA's container terminal operations electronically, seamlessly and in real-time. CITOS® enables PSA to manage the world's largest container volume - 16 million twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) containers annually, at a single location. Worldwide, PSA handled 17.62 million TEUs in 1999, which is 9% of the world's total container throughput. PSA is connected by 400 shipping lines to 740 ports. PSA uses CITOS® to command and control highly complex transhipment operations. This unique system has won international awards testifying to PSA's leading edge IT capabilities in the global port industry. CITOS® also integrates the entire chain of processes in container terminal operations and is linked to PSA's proprietary PORTNET® system - the world's first, and the only e-commerce network connecting an entire country's maritime community.

Mr Daniel Morrow, Executive Director, Computerworld Smithsonian Program, said, "PSA Corporation Limited's CITOS® is one of the outstanding showcases among the 444 Laureates. CITOS® comes out as among the very best in an extraordinary class of Laureates in the 2000 Collection."

Mr Robert Yap, Executive Vice-President (Information Technology), PSA Corporation, said, "We are honoured to emerge as a finalist for the highly-acclaimed Smithsonian Award. This is a historic moment for PSA and a recognition of our investment in Information Technology. Information Technology is a strong force behind PSA's operations- specifically to achieve productivity and service breakthroughs for the benefit of our customers. Last month, a new subsidiary called Portnet.com Pte Ltd was formed to harness and exploit the full potential of the e-Business on the internet which is aimed to further help our customers in raising productivity and lower cost of operations."

Founded in 1988, the Computerworld Smithsonian Program searches for and recognises individuals and organisations who demonstrate vision and leadership in using Information Technology to benefit society around the world. Each year, the Computerworld Smithsonian Chairmen's Committee nominates organisations that use Information Technology to improve society across 10 categories: Business and Related Services; Education and Academia; Environment, Energy and Agriculture; Finance, Insurance and Real Estate; Government and Non-Profit Organizations; Manufacturing; Media, Arts and Entertainment; Medicine; Science; and Transportation. This year's 51 finalists were chosen from a pool of 444 laureates. The laureates come from 38 states in the U.S. and 21 other countries. PSA was one of five finalists (selected from 15 nominated companies) in the Transportation Category. Earlier this year, PSA had been nominated as a Laureate by Mr John Chen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sybase, Inc..

The Smithsonian Institution was established in 1846 with funds bequeathed to the United States by scientist James Smithson, with the aim of founding an institution for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge". Today the world's largest museum complex, the Institute comprises national museums and research centres housing the United States' national collections in natural history, American history, air and space, the fine arts, the decorative arts, and other fields from postal history to cultural history. To-date, the Smithsonian Institution holds 140 million artefacts and specimen. Case studies from the 2000 Computerworld Smithsonian Collection are available at http://innovate.si.edu, the official internet site of the Computerworld Smithsonian Programme, where the entire collection is available to scholars, researchers and the general public worldwide.

INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AWARDS ACHIEVED BY PSA

Major awards:
1999 Award for Innovation at the 11th Seatrade Awards (conferred by the Seatrade Organisation, United Kingdom) for "Flow-Through Container Gate System", a module of CITOS®.

1994 Salzberg Concept Memorial Medallion Award (by Syracuse University in New York) in recognition of excellence in port operations and efforts in pioneering ideas, practices and concepts in transportation and distribution.

1989 Innovative Application Award [from the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (Stanford University)] for Ship Planning Expert System (SPS90), a module of CITOS®.