589 claims worth $72.5m filed over major June 2024 oil spill in Singapore

SINGAPORE – More than a year after

Singapore’s worst oil spill

in a decade, an international scheme processing compensation for the incident has received 589 claims totalling $72.5 million.

The International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Funds said that of these, the Singapore Government has filed claims of more than $18.4 million for its response efforts to the incident.

IOPC Funds have approved $2.8 million worth of these claims through the 1992 Fund. The Government’s remaining claims are still being assessed.

The 1992 Fund, established by IOPC Funds, includes pooled resources from parties involved in oil trading that receive certain types of oil via sea transport.

Singapore is a member of IOPC Funds, which are two intergovernmental organisations that provide financial compensation for oil pollution arising from tanker oil spills in member states.

As at Sept 24, 212 out of the 589 claims, amounting to $31.5 million, have been approved, according to an IOPC Funds report published on Sept 30. So far, the 1992 Fund has paid out $26.9 million.

The oil spill on June 14, 2024, occurred after Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima

lost steering control

and hit Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour, causing 400 tonnes of oil to leak into the waters near Pasir Panjang Terminal.

The spill spread to the beaches at East Coast Park, Labrador Nature Reserve, Keppel Bay, the Southern Islands and Sentosa.

Several government agencies – the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), National Parks Board (NParks), National Environment Agency and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) – undertook clean-up operations. The clean-up lasted over two months and concluded in September 2024.

MPA and SDC said they have submitted their claims to IOPC Funds. NParks is finalising its claims and will submit them once they are ready.

Investigations revealed

that factors such as the inability to deploy Vox Maxima’s anchors and a lack of communication between the crew during handover of duties contributed to the accident.

Four crew members were in April 2025

fined $20,000 to $40,000 each

for failing to discharge their duties properly.

Under Singapore’s Merchant Shipping (Civil Liability and Compensation for Oil Pollution) Act 1998, the owner of a vessel from which oil is discharged is

liable for all damage caused

, whether the vessel is at fault or not.

After the oil spill, various parties sought compensation from the owner of Marine Honour, which spilt oil into Singapore’s waters.

There is an $8 million limit to the claims that can be made against QBE Insurance, the insurer of Marine Honour. Beyond that, claims of up to $355 million can be submitted against IOPC Funds through the 1992 Fund.

The IOPC report showed that QBE Insurance had submitted claims valued at about $35.4 million for clean-up costs, costs for mitigating the risk of further pollution from Marine Honour, and the management of these operations.

In March 2025, the 1992 Fund agreed to make a provisional payment of US$11 million (S$14.2 million) to QBE Insurance, but the approved amounts for the insurer’s claims have since exceeded this sum, said IOPC Funds.

As at Sept 24, the 1992 Fund has approved QBE Insurance’s claims totalling about $25.2 million for oil spill response and prevention efforts, as well as expert fees.

Assessments of the insurer’s remaining claims are under way.

IOPC Funds have also received claims from businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector. These include private pleasure craft owners for oil contamination and damaged equipment, as well as commercial vessel owners for cleaning costs and loss of income.

Additionally, 137 fishers in Johor Bahru filed compensation claims worth RM609,762 (S$187,000) for property damage and economic losses.

When contacted, IOPC Funds declined to disclose more details about the claimants for privacy reasons.

On Oct 17, 2024, the shipowner and insurer of Vox Maxima were granted a limit of around $32 million for their liability for the oil spill, under the global Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims.

The 1992 Fund intends to claim from this limitation fund to recover the sums that it has reimbursed affected parties so far, and has begun preparing its claim submissions.