Oil spill off Changi East: Malaysian and Indonesian reports

Ship crash causes oil spill off Johor
Ahmad Fairuz Othman, Syed Umar Ariff and Lydia Gomez New Straits Times 26 May 10;

JOHOR BARU: Malaysian and Singaporean authorities are working to clean up the spillage of about 2,000 tonnes of crude oil following two ships' collision off Pengerang.

Malaysian Marine Department, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and their Singaporean counterparts have deployed their ships to contain the spillage, which gushed from a 10m gash across the left side of the Port Klang-registered Bunga Kelana 3 tanker.

The other ship involved in the collision, MV Waily, registered in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, did not sustain serious damage and is at the site.

It was filled with iron ore.

MMEA said it had set up booms, or large floating barriers that round up oil and lift them off the water, around the tanker.

Malaysia has mobilised at least four boats and Singapore two tugboats to clean up the spillage.

Bunga Kelana 3 has been towed to Changi, Singapore.

In the incident about 6am, Bunga Kelana 3 was on its way from Bintulu to a Petronas refinery in Malacca.

The tanker, owned by the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC), was carrying 63,054 metric tonnes of light crude and condensate oils.

It was managed by petroleum shipping company AET based in Kuala Lumpur.

MMEA Commander Abdul Hadib Abdul Wahab said none of the ship's crew was injured.

He said there were oil spill spots within a 50m radius of the collision site.

"We are using Shaula 1, a ship belonging to the Marine Department, to control the spillage. However, we have yet to determine the cause of the collision," said Hadib.

A source said at least three MMEA boats and Malaysian marine police personnel had been sent to the area by late morning to assess the situation.

The Department of Environment said favourable sea conditions and wind direction at the site indicated that the crude oil spill was not likely to immediately spread to the shores off Pengerang.

AET corporate communications head Paul Lovell said the ship was anchored at the south of Changi East while work was under way to clean up the spill.

The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MISC.

"Bunga Kelana 3 is reported to have been hit by the bow of the other vessel as the former was travelling from east to west in the traffic separation scheme (TSS) of the Singapore strait."

The ship had 27 crew members.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said its port operations control centre had issued broadcasts to ships heading towards the TSS to stay clear of the anchored vessel and MV Waily, anchored 4km from Bunga Kelana 3.

Traffic in the strait remained unaffected.

MPA said it had sent four patrol and emergency response teams to the affected zone and had alerted oil spill response companies to contain the spill. "MPA has informed the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities of the incident."

Malaysian tanker spills oil after collision off Singapore Tuesday
The Star 25 May 10;

SINGAPORE: A Malaysian-registered tanker, MT Bunga Kelana 3, collided with a bulk carrier in the Singapore Strait about 13km southeast of Changi East on Tuesday morning.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the tanker collided with a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily, in the traffic separation scheme (TSS) in the strait at about 6.10am.

In a statement, the MPA said there was no report of injury to crew members but the tanker suffered damage to one of its cargo tanks, resulting in an oil spill.

The master of the tanker estimated that 2,000 tonnes of crude oil could have spilled into the sea.

Both vessels are currently anchored in the Singapore Strait, with the MV Waily currently about 11 km southeast of Changi East and the MT Bunga Kelana 3 about 7km south of Changi East.

The MPA Port Operations Control Centre had issued navigational broadcasts to ships transiting the TSS to keep clear of the anchored vessels.

Traffic in the TSS remains unaffected.

The MPA had also activated oil spill response companies, which had deployed three craft with oil spill equipment.

Work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill.

The MPA had also informed the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities of the incident, the statement added. - BERNAMA

Indonesia police help clean up oil slick from Malaysian tanker
Antara 26 May 10;

Dumai, Riau (ANTARA News) - Indonesian marine police units on Tuesday converged on a spot in Singapore waters to clean up an oil slick that had formed following a collision between a Malaysian-flagged tanker and a Singaporean-flagged vessel.

The oil slick from an estimated 20,000 tons of crude that had spilled from the damaged "Mt Bunga Kelana 2" tanker had covered an area of about two square kilometers, an Indonesian marine police officer, First Inspector Carita, reported from the scene at 21:00 hours on Tuesday.

The Bunga Kelana 3 was on its way from Bintulu to Sungai Udang Kerteh in Malayswia with 50,000 tons of crude oil in its hold when it was rammed by MV Waily at about 05.05 West Indonesian Time on Tuesday.

The crash made a 20 m X 6 m gash on the left side of the tanker, allowing about 20,000 tons of crude oil to flow into the sea.

None of the two vessels sank and there were no casualties.

After 14 hours of rescue and cleaning up efforts made together with Singapore and Malsyian police, part of the oil slick had been removed, Carita said.

"But we are a little constrained in our work because we use minimal equipment. We will possibly get more personnel and better equipment tomorrow, Wednesday (May 26)," he said.

The accident happened in a narrow strait between Indonesia and Singapore at a spot within Singaporean waters.

Although the vessels involved were not Indonesian and the collision occurred in foreign waters, Indonesia took part in the rescue and cleanup operations because it was called for in an existing international understanding and the oil spill could also affect Indonesian territory, Carita said.

(H-AJM/B003/S026)

Two tankers saved following their collision
Antara 26 May 10;

Dumai, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Malaysian and Singapore tankers which collided in the Singapore strait on Tuesday at 5.05 am local time, had been saved by rescue teams from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapura.

Riau Islands Water Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner M. Yassin Kosasih said Tuesday night that the two tankers, namely MT Bunga Kelana 3 Callsign 9MCY6 GT 57017, IMO No. 9178331 of Malaysia, and MV Waily of Singapura were rescued and did not sink after its oil tank holding 50,000 tons of crude oil had been patched with neutral steel.

"The two ill-fated ships had been towed to Singapore for further investigation," Kosasih said.

He said Indonesian police had the task of merely preventing the oil spill from reaching Indonesian territorial waters.

"Although the accident took place between Malaysian and Singaporean tankers, we also have the obligation to see that the effect of the accident did not have an impact on our territory," he said.

As earlier reported, the collision took place after MT Bunga Kelana 3 of AET Ship management Sdn.Bhd, based in Malaysia, sailing from Bintulu to Sungai Udang Kerteh also in Malaysia exporting at least 50,000 tons of crude oil.

DOE and other agencies to keep tabs on oil leak
The Star 26 May 10;

JOHOR BARU: The Department of Environment (DOE) and other agencies will monitor the oil spill in the Singapore Strait following the collision of two vessels.

State DOE director Dr Zulkifli Abdul Rahman said the department was working with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM), police air wing and marine police to monitor the situation.

“We are closely observing the spill and the direction it is heading. We have also come up with a contingency plan to contain it.

“We do not expect the oil spill to reach our shores but the situation may change depending on the wind and tide,” he said yesterday.

Dr Zulkifli added that special booms would be deployed to help contain the oil spill from reaching the shoreline if necessary.

“We hope to contain the spill because it could affect the livelihood of fishermen in affected areas,” he said.

APMM Tanjung Sedili district enforcement chief Abdul Hadib Abd Wahab said the cause of the collision was still being investigated.

“Initial investigations have found a 10m-wide tear on the side of the Malaysian vessel, MT Bunga Kelana 3, while the other vessel, the MV Waily, sustained only minimal damage,” he said.

The vessels collided in the Singapore Strait about 13km southeast of Changi East yesterday.

Related links

• Singapore Changi East Oil Spill (25 May 2010) Facebook Page for latest info, updates and observations of the oil spill.
  
• wild shores of singapore updates with consolidated news and checks on our shores for signs of crude and impact of spill.