Govt agencies take precautionary measures after over 30 tonnes of ‘slop’ leaked into sea
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An oil absorbing boom has been deployed at the East Coast beach. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Fatimah Mujibah
UPDATED
OCT 21, 2024, 08:45 PM
SINGAPORE - Over 30 tonnes of “slop” – a mixture of oil and water – was leaked into the sea between Bukom Island and Bukom Kecil on Oct 20, said British petrochemical company Shell, as government agencies announced precautionary measures to detect and contain any slick.
In a statement on Oct 21, Shell said that it was “actively working with all relevant authorities to manage the clean-up effort”, following an oil leak from a land-based pipeline.
The leak had stopped since around 3pm on Oct 20, said the company, which estimated that “approximately 30 to 40 tonnes” of slop leaked into the sea.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety of people and to limit environmental impact as we work on resolving this as quickly as possible. We appreciate the support and cooperation from authorities and our communities as we work diligently to minimise the impact,” said Shell, adding that more information will be released soon.
It added that it has deployed containment booms, anti-pollution crafts and spraying of dispersant to contain and break up the oil as part of on-going clean-up effort.
In a joint statement on Oct 21, eight government agencies said they were working closely with Shell to clean up the leaked oil.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) deployed a Current Buster system off Changi at the entrance to the East Johor Strait to collect oil slick, if sighted, and prevent potential spread beyond port waters.
Another Current Buster system - which scoops seawater in affected areas and sieves oil out - was also deployed to the west of Singapore.
The oil leak originated at around 5.30am on Oct 20 after a land-based pipeline belonging to Shell “spilt into a holding area but some overflowed” into the water channel between both locations.
MPA was alerted to the incident more than seven hours later at about 1pm. There were no other oil sightings as at 3pm on Oct 20, said the agencies.
The National Environment Agency had earlier on Oct 21 advised the public to avoid swimming and other primary contact water activities near the beaches of East Coast Park, Kusu Island, St John’s Island and Lazarus Island.
This is despite no oil sightings at these islands, as well as Pulau Hantu and Seringat Island, according to the joint statement. The Singapore Land Authority will continue to assess if oil-absorbent booms will be required at the lagoons of these islands.
Primary contact water activities are those where the whole body or the face and trunk are frequently immersed, or where it is likely that some water will be swallowed. Examples include swimming, wakeboarding and jet skiiing.
The public may still continue with land-based and water activities at Tanjong Beach, Palawan Beach and Siloso Beach on Sentosa Island. Deflective booms will be progressively deployed across key areas of the island, including the three beaches.
The lock gates of Sentosa Cove have been closed, with oil absorbent booms also deployed.
JTC Corporation has also advised companies on Jurong Island and waterfront-facing companies in the western region to be on alert and to take precautionary measures.
Furthermore, no reports of fish farms being affected by the leak has been reported, with the Singapore Food Agency in contact with farmers.
The authorities added that they have informed the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities of the incident and advised them to look out for any oil sightings along their respective coastlines.
Investigations into the incident are currently ongoing.
