East Coast oil spill: 3km of beach cleared

Tania Tan, Straits Times 4 Apr 08;

OVER 800 bags of oil-soaked sand were cleared from a 3km stretch of beach at the East Coast Park yesterday, after an oil spill hit the shoreline on Wednesday evening.

The clean-up, which started that same evening, continued yesterday. About 70 National Environment Agency (NEA) officers armed with garbage bags and shovels got to work at 7.30am near the Road Safety Park.

Chemicals were also used to dissolve any oil residue.

They were done in under two hours.

Mr G. Thurainadan, the manager of the NEA's Marine Parade precinct who oversaw the operation, said: 'We needed to work fast, so that any pollution is minimised. Plus, it's very unsightly.'

The Maritime and Port Authority and the NEA are still investigating the cause of the oil spill.

Mr Frederick Chong, 35, a park visitor who arrived with his two-year-old son Gabriel after the clean-up, said: 'I didn't notice the oil spill. But the beach looks unusually clean. Normally, you see branches and seaweed strewn on the shore, but not today.'

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