On Friday (14 June), an oil spill at the Pasir Panjang Terminal caused beaches in Sentosa to be closed.
The oil spill has now spread to more locations on Singapore’s coast, including East Coast Park and Labrador Nature Reserve.
Source: Desmond Lee on Facebook
To facilitate clean-up, some beaches in these areas will be closed.
The update on the oil spill was provided in a joint statement by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks), and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) on Saturday (15 June).
It said due to the tidal current, oil from the oil spill had landed along several of Singapore’s shorelines, including those at:
While there are no signs of oil slick within Sister’s Islands Marine Park, oil sheen was observed in the surrounding waters, the statement added.
Clean-up efforts are already taking place.
To facilitate the clean-up, however, the following beaches will be closed till further notice:
As for Sentosa’s Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso beaches, sea activities and swimming are not allowed though they are still open to the public.
An MPA press statement earlier on Saturday said patches of oil and light sheens had been observed along Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso beaches.
Source: Wan Razak on Facebook
The authorities have deployed 18 response craft to aid in the containment and clean-up of the oil spill.
To that end, close to 1,500m of container booms have been deployed, and more will be laid over the next few days to prevent further spread.
Oil-absorbent booms have also been deployed across the shoreline of Labrador Nature Reserve, including at Berlayer Creek and the Rocky Shore.
Source: Desmond Lee on Facebook
So far, West Coast Park has not been affected but oil-absorbent booms have been deployed there to protect the mangroves at the Marsh Garden.
The oil spill has already been contained and there has been no further leak from the vessel since Friday evening, the authorities said.
MPA patrol craft sprayed dispersants on the oil that escaped to reduce the impact of the spill.
An MPA-led Emergency Operation Centre has also been set up to coordinate efforts across the Government.
The oil spill occurred due to an allision between a Netherlands-flagged dredger, Vox Maxima, and a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel, Marine Honour, which was alongside a container vessel berthed at the Pasir Panjang Terminal on Friday (14 June) afternoon, MPA said.
An allision is when a moving ship runs into another ship that is stationary.
Oil spilt from the damaged tank as a result of the allision between the two vessels.
MPA will investigate the incident, it added.
In a Facebook post on Saturday night, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said members of the public may sign up as a volunteer if they want to help out with the oil spill management efforts.
The authorities will keep those who sign up updated and activate volunteers if help is needed.
Members of the public who encounter any oil-slicked animals can contact the Animal Response Centre’s 24-hour hotline at 1800 476 1600.
Also read: Sentosa beaches closed due to oil spill, clean-up operations underway
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Featured image adapted from Desmond Lee on Facebook.
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