Sixty volunteers found an "oar- some" way to keep Singapore's waters clean yesterday - by venturing out on kayaks to collect rubbish.

The group comprising secondary school students and members of the public collected 167kg of rubbish on a three-hour trip from Sembawang Beach to Seletar Island, organised by Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Another 3,500 volunteers also cleared trash from beaches and mangroves.

Yesterday's event, to raise awareness of the need to protect Singapore's port waters and marine environment, was held in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day, an annual global event to encourage people to remove trash from beaches and waterways.

Data collected from the cleanup efforts will be submitted to the non-profit organisation Ocean Conservancy for further analysis and research.

MPA chief executive Andrew Tan told the volunteers yesterday: "Keeping our waters clean is a shared responsibility."

Amelia Teng