Frequent visitors to Singapore’s East Coast Park may have noticed a busier coastline in recent months, with ships anchored offshore waiting to refuel or discharge cargo.

Here is a look at the coastline in March, spanning a roughly 214 square km of waters.

Satellite images provided by Planet Labs showed about 208 ships in the eastern anchorage between Marina Barrage and Changi Airport on March 1, based on a count by The Straits Times.

That rose to about 318 on April 28, before easing to around 230 on June 13.

Not all will need to dock or unload cargo. They could be here to refuel or some ship-to-ship transfers may take place too.

Some vessels also come to Singapore for repairs or for the transfer of supplies.

The observations based on the satellite images are broadly consistent with official data from the Maritime and Port Aut...