Sentosa oil spill clean-up making good progress, Siloso Beach shoreline largely cleaned

Oil spill clean-up is challenging & time-consuming, Sentosa says

Sentosa is slowly but surely recovering from a wide-reaching oil spill that sullied its beaches over a week ago, the island’s management has said.

The clean-up is making “good progress”, with the shoreline of Siloso Beach in particular “largely cleaned” now.

More than 140,000kg of oil-soaked sand removed

In a Facebook post on Sunday (23 June), Sentosa said they had removed more than 140,000kg of oil-soaked sand from three beaches since 15 June.

These beaches are Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong Beach.

As a result, the Siloso Beach shoreline has been largely cleaned.

Sentosa starts clearning oil spill from rock bunds & breakwaters

However, there is still more work to be done, Sentosa said.

Workers have started clearing oil from rock bunds and breakwaters, which is a “challenging and time-consuming task”.

That’s because these areas are harder to access than the shoreline due to the uneven surfaces that allow oil to slip into boulder crevices.

The island is tapping experts who will use specialised cleaning methods, it said.

They aim to thoroughly flush out the oil and clear it from the lagoon.

More time needed for clean-up work: Grace Fu

Last Thursday (20 June), Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on Facebook that cleaning the oil from rock bunds and breakwaters is a “complex process requiring specialised cleaning”.

She sought the public’s patience and understanding, adding that more time was needed for the clean-up work before the beaches are opened to the public.

The authorities also need to ensure that water quality is within safe levels before reopening, she added.

All beach activities on Sentosa stopped due to oil spill

The oil spill on 14 June has caused the closure of Sentosa’s beaches for more than a week, with the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) telling MS News on 15 June that it had stopped all beach activities.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said patches of oil and light sheens had been observed along Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso Beach after the incident.

Images of Sentosa’s oil-slicked beaches then circulated on social media, showing the extent of the damage.

Visitors to beachfront dining spots and attractions are still allowed access to beaches.

Beach clean-up involving scooping up oil-soaked sand with shovels

Ms Fu said the beach clean-up was laborious work, involving the careful scooping up of oil-soaked sand with shovels.

The contaminated sand then had to be properly bagged and sent for further treatment and disposal.

Service providers also used a vessel to skim the oil from the surface of the water with booms.

About 400 metric tonnes of oil released into sea

The oil spill was the result of an allision between a Netherlands-flagged dredger, Vox Maxima, and a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel, Marine Honour, at the Pasir Panjang Terminal, the MPA said.

An allision is when a moving ship runs into another ship that is stationary.

It occurred after the dredger experienced “a sudden loss in engine and steering control”, according to a joint statement from the authorities.

The incident tore a hole in one of the Marine Honour’s oil cargo tanks, spilling its contents of low-sulphur fuel oil into the sea.

About 400 metric tonnes (400,000kg) of oil was released into the sea, said MPA Chief Executive Teo Eng Dih on LinkedIn.

This is equivalent to half of the volume of the tank. The other half was contained and isolated.

The public is advised to keep away from certain areas of East Coast Park, Labrador Nature Reserve, Sentosa and St John’s, Lazarus, and Kusu islands to facilitate the clean-up efforts.

Also read: Clean-up efforts: How NEA is clearing oil-soaked sand from East Coast Park beaches after oil spill

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Featured image adapted from Sentosa on Facebook.