More beaches closed after oil spill; MPA working with insurer to set up contact for third-party claims

SINGAPORE: Beaches on three Singapore islands will be closed until further notice, the authorities said on Sunday evening (Jun 16) after an oil spill on Friday spread to several coastlines.

The beaches at St John's, Lazarus and Kusu islands will be shut after oil slicks were seen at the first two islands.

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 in 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 have been closed since 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 Maxima hit stationary bunker vessel Marine Honour at Pasir Panjang Terminal at about 2.20pm on Friday.

This caused some oil from a cargo tank on the bunker vessel to spill into the water. 

MPA is working with British Marine, the insurer of the stationary tanker, to set up a contact for third-party claims by "affected parties who have been impacted".

They can email marinehonour [at] helmsmanlaw.com.

SUDDEN LOSS IN ENGINE, STEERING CONTROL

In the joint statement, the authorities said the dredger had reported a sudden loss in engine and steering control before it hit the bunker vessel on Friday. 

This 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 to spray 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.

The craft skims and lifts the oil off the water surface into storage tanks.

"Booms were also laid around the vessels thereafter as added precaution in case of further leaks from the vessel," said the authorities.

"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.

Oil recovery efforts at sea are progressing. Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL), the largest international industry-funded cooperative providing oil spill response services, is supporting clean-up efforts.

It will deploy two floating containment and recovery devices, called Current Buster systems. This consists of a boom with a skirt that extends below the water surface to corral and concentrate the oil on the water surface.

As of 1.30pm on Sunday, no oil slick has been reported in the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Singapore Strait, and navigation remains unaffected. Port operations are also carrying on as normal.

"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 containment 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 the further spread of oil onto the shore.

"The booms are less effective when there are higher waves above 0.5m. 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."

More than 250 personnel have been deployed, including over 50 workers from OSRL, 50 NParks officers, cleaners and other officers to support beach and shoreline clean-up efforts.

There have been more than 1,500 sign-ups by members of the public looking to help. NParks said it will activate volunteers if more assistance 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 the oil spill. Authorities have not observed any impact of the oil spill at the park.

Volunteers will also patrol the beach areas at East Coast Park 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.

Editor's note: The name of the dredger in this article has been amended after the Maritime and Port Authority issued a correction.