Several patches of oil have been sighted off two of Singapore’s western islands, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
In a media release on Sunday (1 Nov), the authority added that it is investigating the source of the oil.
Source: Google Maps
At about 10.25am on Sunday, MPA was alerted to a sighting of oil in the waters off Pulau Sebarok, it said.
The 46.8-hectare island is located off the southern coastline of Singapore.
MPA’s aerial surveillance subsequently confirmed the presence of several patches of oil off Pulau Sebarok, as well as Pulau Semakau and Selat Pauh.
Pulau Semakau is where Singapore’s only landfill is located, while Selat Pauh is a stretch of water near the island.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Upon confirmation of the sightings, MPA activated its oil spill response contractors.
Terminals in the vicinity were also directed to deploy their spill response resources, while ships in port were alerted to report any sightings of oil patches.
In order to protect Singapore’s shorelines, relevant agencies have been alerted to take precautionary measures if necessary.
So far, there have been no sightings of oil patches near West Coast, Sentosa, the Southern Islands and East Coast, MPA said.
Navigational traffic and port operations has also not been affected, MPA assured.
MPA is continuing to surveill the area and working with agencies and terminals to mitigate and clean up the oil patches.
It is also investigating the source of the oil.
Also read: 5 tonnes of oil spill into sea off Changi on 28 Oct, cleared by next day
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.