SINGAPORE: More beaches will be closed until further notice, the authorities said on Sunday evening (Jun 16) after an oil spill two days before spread to several coastlines.
The beaches at St John's, Lazarus and Kusu Islands will be shut.
Staff from NParks, together with volunteers from Friends of Marine Park, visited St John’s and Lazarus islands on Sunday morning to observe and document the impact of the oil spill at these areas.
The closure of the beaches at the islands is in addition to areas B to H of East Coast Park, as well as the jetty and rocky shore of Labrador Nature Reserve, which were closed from Saturday.
Sentosa's beaches remain open to the public, but sea activities and swimming are still not allowed at Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso beaches.
As of 1.30pm on Sunday, there were no signs of oil slick within Sisters' Islands Marine Park but oil sheen was seen in the surrounding waters.
The latest update on Sunday evening (Jun 16) was a joint statement by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), the National Environment Agency (NEA), the National Parks Board (NParks) and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC).
Oil washed up on some of Singapore's beaches after dredger Vox Mariner hit a bunker vessel Marine Honour at Pasir Panjang Terminal at about 2.20pm on Friday.
The collision caused some oil from a cargo tank on the bunker vessel to spill into the water.
The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) is working with British Marine, the insurer of the stationary tanker, to set up third party claims contact to "attend to affected parties who have been impacted".
They can email marinehonour [at] helmsmanlaw.com.
In the joint statement, the authorities explained the sequence of events that led to the dredger hitting the stationary bunker vessel.
The dredger had reported a sudden loss in engine and steering control before it hit the vessel on Friday.
It caused a rupture of the vessel's oil cargo tanks and its contents of low-sulphur fuel oil were released to the sea.
MPA patrol craft were deployed and sprayed dispersants on the spill. The authority's response contractor was also activated and they mobilised an oil skimmer to reduce the impact of the spill, said the joint statement.
"Booms were also laid around the vessels thereafter as added precaution in case of further leaks from the vessel," said the joint statement.
"Due to the tidal currents, parts of the oil spillage have landed along the southern shorelines including Sentosa, Labrador Nature Reserve, Southern Islands, Marina South Pier, and East Coast Park."
Investigations by MPA are ongoing and the master of the vessel and its crew are assisting in investigations.
Members of the public are advised to keep away from the affected beaches as clean-up operations are underway.
Close to 1,500m of container booms have been deployed since Friday at various locations, including the three beaches at Sentosa, the entrance of Keppel Marina, off Labrador Nature Reserve, East Coast Park and West Coast Park.
Another 1,600m of booms will be laid over the next few days to prevent further spread of oil onto the shore.
"The booms are less effective when there are higher waves above 0.5 metres. Use of dispersants can help to break down the surface oil into droplets to enhance biodegradation," said the authorities.
"For treated oil with dispersants, these may be suspended in the water and be carried by tidal currents to coastlines."
NEA, NParks and SDC have deployed more than 250 personnel, including over 50 workers from Oil Spill Response Limited, the largest international industry-funded cooperative providing oil spill response.
Fifty NParks officers, cleaners and other officers are also supporting the beach and shoreline clean-up.
There have been more than 1,500 sign-ups as of Sunday afternoon by members of the public looking to help. NParks will activate volunteers if more help is needed.
"For their safety, volunteers will not be deployed for shoreline clean-up," said the authorities.
Some volunteers have been activated to monitor the situation at West Coast Park and to alert the authorities should there be signs of an oil spill.
Volunteers will also patrol the beach areas at East Coast Part on Monday.
These volunteers at both parks can help with information sharing and reporting on affected wildlife and areas.
"While NParks will not be able to activate everyone who has signed up, due to the overwhelming response and the nature of the clean-up operations, NParks thanks everyone for their prompt responses in caring for the parks and nature areas," said the joint statement.
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The beaches at St John's, Lazarus and Kusu Islands will be shut.
Staff from NParks, together with volunteers from Friends of Marine Park, visited St John’s and Lazarus islands on Sunday morning to observe and document the impact of the oil spill at these areas.
The closure of the beaches at the islands is in addition to areas B to H of East Coast Park, as well as the jetty and rocky shore of Labrador Nature Reserve, which were closed from Saturday.
Sentosa's beaches remain open to the public, but sea activities and swimming are still not allowed at Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso beaches.
As of 1.30pm on Sunday, there were no signs of oil slick within Sisters' Islands Marine Park but oil sheen was seen in the surrounding waters.
The latest update on Sunday evening (Jun 16) was a joint statement by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), the National Environment Agency (NEA), the National Parks Board (NParks) and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC).
Oil washed up on some of Singapore's beaches after dredger Vox Mariner hit a bunker vessel Marine Honour at Pasir Panjang Terminal at about 2.20pm on Friday.
The collision caused some oil from a cargo tank on the bunker vessel to spill into the water.
The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) is working with British Marine, the insurer of the stationary tanker, to set up third party claims contact to "attend to affected parties who have been impacted".
They can email marinehonour [at] helmsmanlaw.com.
Related:
WHAT HAPPENED
In the joint statement, the authorities explained the sequence of events that led to the dredger hitting the stationary bunker vessel.
The dredger had reported a sudden loss in engine and steering control before it hit the vessel on Friday.
It caused a rupture of the vessel's oil cargo tanks and its contents of low-sulphur fuel oil were released to the sea.
MPA patrol craft were deployed and sprayed dispersants on the spill. The authority's response contractor was also activated and they mobilised an oil skimmer to reduce the impact of the spill, said the joint statement.
"Booms were also laid around the vessels thereafter as added precaution in case of further leaks from the vessel," said the joint statement.
"Due to the tidal currents, parts of the oil spillage have landed along the southern shorelines including Sentosa, Labrador Nature Reserve, Southern Islands, Marina South Pier, and East Coast Park."
Investigations by MPA are ongoing and the master of the vessel and its crew are assisting in investigations.
KEEP AWAY
Members of the public are advised to keep away from the affected beaches as clean-up operations are underway.
Close to 1,500m of container booms have been deployed since Friday at various locations, including the three beaches at Sentosa, the entrance of Keppel Marina, off Labrador Nature Reserve, East Coast Park and West Coast Park.
Another 1,600m of booms will be laid over the next few days to prevent further spread of oil onto the shore.
"The booms are less effective when there are higher waves above 0.5 metres. Use of dispersants can help to break down the surface oil into droplets to enhance biodegradation," said the authorities.
"For treated oil with dispersants, these may be suspended in the water and be carried by tidal currents to coastlines."
NEA, NParks and SDC have deployed more than 250 personnel, including over 50 workers from Oil Spill Response Limited, the largest international industry-funded cooperative providing oil spill response.
Fifty NParks officers, cleaners and other officers are also supporting the beach and shoreline clean-up.
There have been more than 1,500 sign-ups as of Sunday afternoon by members of the public looking to help. NParks will activate volunteers if more help is needed.
"For their safety, volunteers will not be deployed for shoreline clean-up," said the authorities.
Some volunteers have been activated to monitor the situation at West Coast Park and to alert the authorities should there be signs of an oil spill.
Volunteers will also patrol the beach areas at East Coast Part on Monday.
These volunteers at both parks can help with information sharing and reporting on affected wildlife and areas.
"While NParks will not be able to activate everyone who has signed up, due to the overwhelming response and the nature of the clean-up operations, NParks thanks everyone for their prompt responses in caring for the parks and nature areas," said the joint statement.
Continue reading...