East Coast oil spill in May costs S$7m to clean up

Wayne Chan Channel NewsAsia 29 Oct 10;

SINGAPORE: The oil spill in May from two ships that collided off Singapore's East Coast cost S$7 million to clean up.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the companies that own the ships will have to bear this cost.

Meanwhile the MPA led a multi-agency oil spill exercise on Friday to ensure Singapore's readiness in future.

Code-named JOSE 2010, it played out a scenario where an oil tanker spills oil that can fill more than two Olympic-sized pools. About half that amount was spilled in the May collision.

An aircraft was also on hand to show how it would spray chemicals for a clean-up.

The exercise also rehearsed a rescue of ship crew members trapped in a fire.

Over 150 personnel from 14 government agencies took part in the drill.

The exercise took place along Sinki Fairway, about eight kilometres southwest of Sentosa.

MPA's group director, Captain M Segar, said it is critical for Singapore to maintain operational readiness because of its strategic location and connection.

A person in charge of a vessel that causes an oil spill can be fined up to S$1 million or jailed for up to two years or both.

The MPA also reported a 20% drop in the number of ships caught for dumping waste from January to July this year, as compared with the same period last year.

The exercise was also observed by over 60 international participants of the Singapore International Bunkering Conference.

- CNA/ir

Oil spill exercise to 'ensure Singapore's readiness'
Wayne Chan Today Online 30 Oct 10;

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) led a multi-agency oil spill exercise on Friday to ensure Singapore's readiness in future, following a major clean-up of a spill off the East Coast in May as a result of a collision between two vessels.

The cost of the clean-up, which amounted to $7 million, will be borne by the owners of both vessels, the MPA said.

In Friday's exercise, code-named JOSE 2010, the scenario was that of an oil tanker which spilt oil to the extent of more than two Olympic-sized pools.

About half that amount was spilled in the May collision.

An aircraft was on hand to show how it would spray chemicals for a clean-up. The exercise also rehearsed a rescue of ship crew members trapped in a fire.

Over 150 personnel from 14 government agencies participated in the exercise along Sinki Fairway, about eight kilometres south-west of Sentosa.


Joint oil spill exercise conducted in Singapore
AsiaOne 29 Oct 10;

A multi-agency joint oil spill exercise was conducted on Friday to test and demonstrate Singapore's readiness to respond to oil spills at sea.

Code-named JOSE 2010, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) led the exercise at PSA Vista.

The aim of the exercise was to familiarise responding agencies on oil spill contingency plans.

Over 150 personnel from various agencies participated in the table-top and seaward exercise along Sinki Fairway, about 8 km south-west of Sentosa Island.

The scenario that was used in the exercise involved a collision between an oil tanker with 62,000 tons of crude oil and a cargo vessel.

The impact of the collision also caused a fire and some crew members were reported to be trapped.

MPA deployed aircraft fitted with aerial dispersant spraying system to combat the spill.

The spill response teams also demonstrated the deployment of equipment such as oil containment booms around the tanker to prevent further escape of oil.

The exercise was observed by over 60 international participants of the Singapore International Bunkering Conference.

MPA Leads Multi-Agency Team for Joint Oil Spill Exercise
SG Press Centre 29 Oct 10;

In an effort to test and demonstrate Singapore's readiness to respond effectively to oil spills at sea, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) led a multi-agency joint oil spill exercise (code-named JOSE 2010) on Friday, 29 October 2010.

Comprising a table-top exercise at Port Operations Control Centre 2 at PSA Vista and a demonstration on local oil spill response capability, the aim of JOSE 2010 was to familiarize responding agencies on the Oil Spill Contingency Plan (OSCP) for combating major oil spills at sea. Over 150 personnel from various agencies participated in the table top exercise and seaward exercise, located along Sinki Fairway, about 8 km south west of Sentosa Island. See Annex A.

"Singapore being the world's major hub port lies in a strategic location. It is well-connected to 600 ports in 120 countries. Hence, it is critical for Singapore to remain vigilant and maintain operational readiness at all times. This year's exercise demonstrates the close co-ordination of both aircraft and vessel based dispersant spraying systems in the busy waterways of the Port of Singapore. This further ensures an effective and swift response to oil spill incidents within Singapore port limit,” says Capt Segar, MPA’s Group Director (Hub Port).

JOSE 2010 involved a scenario whereby an oil tanker, loaded with 62,000 tonnes of Arabian Heavy crude oil was hit by a cargo vessel at Sinki Fairway. The vessel suffered damage to two cargo tanks and some 4,500 tonnes of oil was spilled. The impact of the collision also caused a fire near the Engine Control Room (ECR) and some crew members were reported to be trapped in the ECR. The cargo vessel suffered minor damage and proceeded to anchor at the Western Anchorage.

As a large quantity of oil was spilled and was spreading quickly, MPA deployed the aircraft fitted with aerial dispersant spraying system to combat the spill. The spill response teams also demonstrated the deployment of equipment such as oil containment booms around the stricken tanker to prevent further escape of the oil, and recovery of oil by specialized skimmers.

JOSE 2010 was yet another successful exercise which saw close cooperation among MPA, government agencies and industry partners. Refer to Annex B for the list of exercise participants. The exercise was observed by over 60 international participants of the Singapore International Bunkering Conference (SIBCON 2010), held from 27-29th October

ANNEX A: Exercise area


ANNEX B: EXERCISE PARTICIPANTS

EOC’s exercise participants are:
a. MPA
b. National Environment Agency
c. MINDEF (MJOC)/SAF
d. Singapore Police Force/PCG
e. Singapore Civil Defence
f. PUB, the National Water Agency
g. National Parks Board
h. Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA)
i. Housing and Development Board
j. Singapore Land Authority
k. Sentosa Development Corporation
l. JTC Corporation
m. Immigration and Checkpoints Authority
n. Building and Construction Authority

In attendance:
o. Shell Eastern Petroleum Pte Ltd (oil terminal)
p. Sinanju Tankers Pte Ltd
q. P&I Representatives
r. Oil Spills Contractors

Observers:
s. MOT
t. MHA
u. MICA
v. Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore
w. Tankstore Singapore
x. Oiltanking Singapore Pte Ltd

Related links

• Oil spill exercise near Cyrene on the wild shores of singapore blog
  
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