An oil spill off southern Singapore has spread to other areas of the island’s coast and is threatening a marine reserve, government agencies said, while authorities yesterday were intensifying efforts to mop up the fuel.
The oil spilled into Singaporean waters after the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck the stationary Singaporean fuel supply vessel Marine Honor on Friday afternoon in the southern port of Pasir Panjang.
The collision damaged the Marine Honor, which leaked oil into the sea.
Photo: AFP
The Singaporean Maritime and Port Authority late on Saturday said in a statement that the oil leak from the vessel had been contained, and that the oil that escaped from the damaged tanker had been treated with dispersants.
However, “due to the tidal current, the treated oil has landed along shorelines including Sentosa, Labrador Nature Reserve, Southern Islands, Marina South Pier and East Coast Park,” it said.
Sentosa, which attracts millions of visitors annually, houses one of Singapore’s two casinos, golf courses and Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park.
Part of the beachfront at the public park and at the nature reserve have been closed to facilitate cleanup efforts, the statement said.
The Sentosa beach would remain open to the public, but sea activities and swimming were prohibited.
An oil sheen was also seen in the waters surrounding Sister’s Islands Marine Park, a 400,000m2 marine protected area, the statement said.
Yesterday, workers in orange suits were scooping up sand in a cleanup operation at an empty beach in Sentosa, as black water washed up on the oil-stained shore.
Authorities have deployed 18 crafts for the cleanup efforts and laid close to 1,500m of container booms, temporary floating barriers to trap the oil spill.
“More will be laid over the next few days to prevent further spread of oil onto the shore, and facilitate the recovery of the trapped oil off the affected shorelines and lagoons to prevent them from going back to sea,” the statement said.
Conservationists and biologists are monitoring the full extent of the damage on marine and wildlife.
The Straits Times reported that fishers were on alert for a spike in the number of fish deaths over the next few days.
Local conservation group Marine Stewards said that photographs have emerged showing dead fish, otters and kingfishers covered in oil slick.
Group founder Sue Ye told the Straits Times that oil spills smother and suffocate fish, birds and marine animals that have to go to the surface for air, such as turtles and dolphins.
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