Oil spill incident: Dredger suffered sudden loss in engine, steering control before hitting ship
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The impact created a rupture in one of the oil tanks of the Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour on June 14.
PHOTO: MPA
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SINGAPORE - The dredging boat that hit a bunker vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal suffered a sudden loss of engine and steering control, Singapore agencies leading the charge in an oil spill clean-up operation said in a joint statement on June 16.
The June 14 incident
The impact created a rupture in one of the oil tanks of Marine Honour, which caused oil to leak into the sea.
“Its contents of low-sulphur fuel oil were released to the sea,” the authorities said.
The latest update was released by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks) and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC).
In response, MPA sent patrol craft to spray dispersants on the oil spill and activated its oil spill response contractor.
An oil skimmer was also used to reduce the spill’s impact, and booms were laid around the affected vessels as an added precaution.
MPA told The Straits Times that half – or 400 tonnes – of the bunker vessel’s fuel leaked into the sea instantly, while the other half was contained and the authority ensured there were no further leaks from the vessel.
“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,” the statement said.
It reported that as at 1.30pm on June 15, there have been no signs of oil slick within Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, though oil sheen was observed in the surrounding waters.
Investigations by MPA are ongoing, and the master of the vessel and its crew are assisting in the probe.
In response to queries from ST, Van Oord, the Netherlands-based company that manages Vox Maxima, said it has sent a team to support and assist the captain and crew of the dredger.
“We are cooperating with the investigations by the authorities,” a spokesperson said, adding that it is unable to comment further as the probe is ongoing.
Van Oord, the company which manages Vox Maxima, said it has sent a team to support and assist the captain and crew of the dredger.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
As a result of the oil spill, beaches on St John’s, Lazarus and Kusu islands will be closed until further notice. Beaches at East Coast Park (from areas B to H) and Labrador Nature Reserve (Jetty and Rocky Shore) were closed from June 15.
“Sentosa’s beaches remain open to the public, but sea activities and swimming are not allowed at Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso beach,” said the authorities.
The public is advised to keep away from these areas to facilitate the clean-up operations. All other areas at both East Coast Park and Labrador Nature Reserve, including food and beverage outlets, remain open.
Workers taking part in the clean-up operations at East Coast Park on June 16.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
To help contain the oil spill, NParks has deployed oil-absorbent booms to protect Berlayer Creek and the Rocky Shore at Labrador Nature Reserve.
Similar booms were deployed at West Coast Park – which is not affected – as a precaution to protect the mangroves at the Marsh Garden.
Close to 1,500m of containment booms have been progressively deployed since June 14 at various locations, including the three beaches at Sentosa, the entrance of Keppel Marina, and off Labrador Nature Reserve, East Coast Park and West Coast Park.
Some 1,600m more will be laid over the next few days to prevent further spread of oil onto the shore.
As at 1.30pm on June 16, no oil slick has been reported in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait, said the authorities. Navigation traffic in the TSS, as well as port operations, remains unaffected.
NParks, NEA and SDC have deployed 250 staff to help with the clean-up efforts. At least 1,500 people, meanwhile, have signed up with NParks as volunteers.
However, volunteers will not be deployed for shoreline clean-up for their safety, said the agencies.
Volunteers have been deployed to monitor the situation at West Coast Park for early alert and have been activated to patrol the beach areas at East Coast Park on June 17.
“We advise members of the public to stay away from the affected oil spill sites. Volunteers at both parks can further assist with info sharing and reporting on affected wildlife and areas,” the agencies said in the statement.
After the incident on June 14, animals including monitor lizards, otters and birds have been found covered in oil.
The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society has received several reports about these distressed animals, its co-chief executive Kalai Vanan Balakrishnan told ST on June 16.
“Birds will be the quickest to get stranded in such situations,” he said, adding that Acres has a collared kingfisher recovering under its care for now.
MPA is working with British Marine, the insurer of Marine Honour, to set up a third-party claim contact to attend to affected parties. They can e-mail marinehonour@helmsmanlaw.com
Additional reporting by Chin Hui Shan and Vihanya Rakshika
