SINGAPORE, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's manufacturing output rose 5.9 percent year-on-year in April, following a 6.8 percent increase in March, according to data released by the Economic Development Board on Monday.

Excluding the biomedical manufacturing cluster, output increased by 8.1 percent compared to the same period last year.

On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, overall manufacturing output climbed 5.3 percent in April. Excluding biomedical manufacturing, output rose 4.7 percent.

Transport engineering posted the strongest year-on-year growth among the clusters, surging 22.9 percent. Within the cluster, the aerospace segment expanded by 39.5 percent, supported by increased maintenance, repair and overhaul activities from commercial airlines. The land and marine, and offshore engineering segments grew by 4.7 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

The electronics cluster saw a 15.2 percent year-on-year increase, while precision engineering grew 1.6 percent.

In contrast, the biomedical manufacturing, chemicals, and general manufacturing clusters recorded year-on-year declines. ■