Singapore oil spill beach clean-up progressing 'faster than expected'

SINGAPORE: Oil spill clean-up operations are now in the final phases after progressing faster than expected, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Tuesday (Jul 16), about a month after oil washed up on several beaches along the coast of Singapore.

On Jun 14, a Netherlands-flagged dredger hit a stationary bunker vessel, causing oil from the latter's damaged cargo tank to spill into the water.

In the days that followed, oil washed up along several beaches, including those on Sentosa, East Coast Park and Labrador Nature Reserve, as well as beaches at St John's, Lazarus and Kusu islands. Oil slicks were also spotted at Marina South Pier.

The first phase of the clean-up focused on removing oil slicks and contaminated sand from the surface of the affected beaches and deploying booms to avoid further contamination.

The next, more complex, phase, focuses on difficult-to-clean areas like rock bunds, breakwaters, and oil trapped deeper in the sand. This phase was originally expected to take about three months.

“Oil spill is almost gone! Clean-up of the oil off rock bunds and on the beach is progressing faster than we expected,” said Ms Fu in an update on Facebook on Tuesday.

A final phase will see beaches combed to remove "tar balls" - small oil deposits that have hardened and mixed with sand. Their sizes range from being as small as pebbles to as large as a fist.

“Siloso Beach and East Coast Park [Area B] are now in the final phase of clean-up operations. We are calling all volunteers to come forward to help our cleaning staff to comb and remove tar balls from the beaches,” she said.

As the tar balls are scattered across the affected beaches and it is a labour-intensive process to pick them all up, Ms Fu called upon the help of volunteers in what she called the biggest beach clean-up exercise in Singapore.

“The sooner we can clear these tar balls, the sooner we can enjoy our beautiful beaches,” she said.

In response to CNA's queries, Sentosa said on Saturday it would be deploying public volunteers to help clear tar balls from Silosa beach from Jul 21.

"As this is our first volunteering session, we are focused on ensuring the safety of our volunteers and equipping them with the necessary protocol as they undertake the beach cleanup efforts, it said.

Subsequent sessions have been planned until the end of July, it added.

CNA has contacted the National Parks Board for a more detailed timeline on the remaining clean-up operations.