NEA advises against water sports, fishing in Raffles Marina after high levels of oil and grease found

SINGAPORE - Members of Raffles Marina in Tuas should avoid any water sports and fishing in the area for now, after

elevated levels of oil and grease were found there,

said the National Environment Agency (NEA).

In response to queries from The Straits Times, NEA on Tuesday said oil and grease found in the waters off Raffles Marina were linked to the run-off from water used to

douse an hours-long fire in a chemical storage facility in Tuas

last Wednesday.

NEA added that it is investigating if any environmental regulations have been violated, without elaborating on which parties are being probed.

This comes after the agency analysed samples of “pungent brown water” in a canal in Tuas West that leads to the sea near the marina.

Booms were placed in the canal on the day of the fire to prevent the run-off from escaping into the sea, NEA said.

Some dead fish were found after the fire in the sea off Raffles Marina, where the water quality was affected by oil and grease carried by the run-off, it added.

NEA said it will continue to monitor the water quality at the canal and marina until it returns to normal.

Some boat owners berthing their watercraft in the marina said they plan to claim for damage caused by the pollution.

Mr Daniel Wong, 53, who is coordinating the claims for six boat owners so far, estimated that it would cost him $10,000 to repaint the sullied hull of his 36ft-long boat.

The boat charter operator said: “Almost everything in the marina seemed to have died two days after the fire.

“We had a net of more than 20 fish next to the boat, mainly groupers, that we had planned to let go. But all of them died.”

An “uncomfortable” chemical smell was still present at the marina on Tuesday – six days after the fire – and black stains remained on the walls of the marina, he added.

Mr Wong has not received any inquiries since the blaze and has had to take his existing clients farther away from the marina.

He said: “There are no fish biting near the marina, so we have been taking anglers farther out.

“Usually within the marina, we could catch over 10 fish before proceeding to other waters.”

Angler Patrick Lim, 43, said he hopes to seek compensation for his livewell – a fish tank in his boat that was connected to the sea – which now reeks of a headache-inducing chemical smell.

Mr Lim, who is among the six boat owners seeking compensation, added: “We’re not sure if the chemical staining the livewell will contaminate fish that are put in it, especially after most of the fishes have died in the marina.”

Mr Lim, who bought his boat in October 2022, said the chemicals in the water could reduce the lifespan of the boat engines and propellers.

Megachem, which runs the chemical storage facility that caught fire, sells and distributes speciality chemicals to companies in the oil and gas, semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries.

A Megachem spokesman said the company is working with the authorities to protect the environment.

“We are committed to maintain the highest standard of environmental protection in all our operations and the well-being of all stakeholders remains our top priority,” she added.

Mr Ryan Lee, group director of the National Biodiversity Centre, said the overall impact on marine habitats near the canal would be low, based on a preliminary assessment by the National Parks Board.

This includes the marina, where a variety of fish and marine animals can be found alongside corals and organisms on the pontoons, he said.

Mr Lee added: “We are working with Raffles Marina to monitor the situation within the marina as water flow is relatively limited within that area.”