Oil spill off Changi East: Singapore reports

Oil spill off Changi coast
Sujin Thomas & Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 26 May 10;

A DAWN collision between two large vessels sent some 2,500 tonnes of crude oil spilling into the waters off Changi yesterday morning, causing fish farmers there to brace themselves for possible damage.

The amount of oil spilled was more than enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool and soon spread into a slick measuring 4 sq km.

The huge slick was about 6km from Singapore shores last night and could hit Changi beaches by today if clean-up efforts prove futile.

Some 85 personnel in 20 vessels, including five from the Malaysian authorities, have been mobilised to prevent that from happening, and are bringing chemical dispersants and containment booms to bear in the fight.

About 200 others are on standby in case oil hits the shore.

The 51 fish farms off Changi have been provided with heavy canvas skirting for their nets to prevent oil from seeping in and killing the fish within.

Meanwhile, residents in several parts of the East Coast complained that the air reeked of oil fumes and fretted about possible ill-effects to their health.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement that the smell could have been caused by oil which had evaporated. But there was no cause for alarm, they said, as no toxic chemicals were detected in the air.

The collision took place at about 6am yesterday, the MPA said. The vessels involved, the Malaysian-owned tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 and the St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier MV Waily, crashed into each other in the Singapore Strait, about 13km from Changi's shore.

The Bunga Kelana 3, which had left a port in Bintulu, Sarawak, earlier in the morning and was headed for Malacca, suffered damage to one of its cargo tanks. The light crude oil in the tank then leaked into the sea. The Straits Times understands the tank was not filled to capacity.

The Waily was heading towards the south of Johor and was carrying minerals.

The ships involved are in no danger of sinking. There are also no reports of injuries to the crew of either vessel, all of whom are foreigners.

The MPA dispatched four patrol and emergency response craft to the area immediately after being notified of the collision. Other vessels were sent later as the extent of the spill became known.

One of the companies involved in the clean-up, Jurong-based Oil Spill Response, told The Straits Times it was activated by MPA at about 1.30pm. It dispatched a vessel carrying five men equipped with dispersant sprays to break the crude oil into small biodegradable droplets. These are later pumped out or skimmed from the water's surface.

The company's operations manager, Mr Ho Yew Weng, said: 'The oil is very light, and with the heat...I'm sure a lot of it would have evaporated.'

Other measures to contain the spill include the deployment of 1,500m of heavy canvas containment booms.

Experts such as Professor Chou Loke Ming from the National University of Singapore are monitoring the spill to see if there is an impact on the shoreline.

If containment fails, Prof Chou said, the oil could foul Singapore shores within a day. 'It will depend on the hydrological conditions at the time, such as the prevailing direction and strength of the wind and tides.'

However, he added that any environmental damage is unlikely to be significant as the area is largely made up of reclaimed land, sea walls and canals.

The worst oil spill incident in Singapore waters occurred in 1997, when 25,000 tonnes of oil spewed into the sea after a collision between a Very Large Crude Carrier and an oil tanker.

Scramble to contain oil spill after ships collide
200 on standby to clean up the coast if need be
Hetty Musfirah Today Online 26 May 10;

SINGAPORE - Something was not smelling right between noon and 3pm yesterday to people in the business district and the port at Tanjong Pagar.

Like some residents in the East who called the MediaCorp hotline said there was a kerosene-like smell in the air.

He could also smell smoke, said Mr Yow from Marina Bay who called the hotline at 1.45pm.

Two ships - a Malaysian registered oil tanker and a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier - had collided in the commercial stretch of the Singapore Strait just 13km off Changi.

The accident happened just after 6am.

The tanker's left cargo tank had a 10-metre gash, resulting in an oil spill which - by afternoon - covered an area of about 4km by 1km.

The kerosene-like smell that wafted to shore was due to some of the lighter portions of the oil evaporating, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The NEA did not detect any toxic chemicals in the air.

The waters around Ubin and Pasir Ris were not contaminated at press time, but the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has given fish farm owners plastic sheets that can protect these stock to a depth of 3 metres.

Most of the fish are kept 3m below the water's surface, but farm owners felt that the spill will not cause as much damage as the plankton bloom last December.

"We are now experiencing southern winds. So, the oil spill is expected to reach the farm in two or three days.

"Fortunately, by then, the toxicity would be less and the oil would have diluted," said Mr Philip Lim, the owner of a fish farm.

Waterways Watch chairman Eugene Heng said there are concerns over the oil spill regardless of its severity.

"Even if it doesn't reach our shores, the pollution could affect marine life," he said.

It is estimated that some 2,500 tonnes of crude oil were spilled into the waters.

Containment and clean-up efforts were led by MPA, with more than 80 people on site yesterday evening.

About 20 vessels - some equipped with non-toxic and bio-degradable agents - were deployed to break up the slick.

A total of 1,500 metres of containment booms were used to stop the slick from spreading and to facilitate collection by two skimmers.

MPA is also working with AET, the operator of the tanker, the MT Bunga Kelana 3, to have 200 personnel on standby to clean up the coast should the need arise.

Operators of marinas and waterfront facilities near the area have been alerted, but a salvage expert said much of the oil would evaporate.

"It seems to be a lot but if it is light crude, it will just evaporate," said Mr Ho Yew Weng, response and projects manager of disaster management firm Oil Spill Response Singapore. The hot weather could make the crude disperse even faster.

The tanker - which was carrying almost 62,000 tonnes of crude oil - has been towed to Changi port for repairs. The MV Waily was still anchored at the collision site.

MPA said both parties involved are liable for the costs of the clean up effort.

Additional reporting by Lynda Hong and Jessica Yeo

Oil clean-up in full swing in Singapore straits
2,500t of oil spilled as tanker collides with bulk carrier
Joyce Hooi, Business Times 26 May 10;

(SINGAPORE) A flurry of activity took place in the Singapore straits yesterday, as more than 20 craft and 85 people worked to clean up an estimated 2,500 tonnes of crude oil that spilled into the sea, following a vessel collision.

A Malaysian-registered tanker the MT Bunga Kelana 3 - and a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier called the MV Waily collided in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Strait of Singapore, about 13 km south-east of Changi East, at 603 am yesterday.

By afternoon, a helicopter survey by the Republic of Singapore Air Force had found an oil slick measuring four km by one km, about six km south of Changi East.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has warned marinas, sea sports centres, ferry terminals and other waterfront facilities to brace themselves for the possible impact of the oil spill.

While no crew members have been injured, one of Bunga Kelana 3's cargo tanks was damaged, leading to the oil spill. 'Oil booms are being placed around the leaked cargo to contain the spill,' AET, the operators of the MT Bunga Kelana 3 said in a statement issued yesterday afternoon.

It is working with the MPA to have 200 people on standby to clean up the Singapore coastline if needed.

According to the operator, the Bunga Kelana 3 - a 1998 double-hull crude oil aframax tanker - was reported to have been hit by the MV Waily as the former was travelling from east to west in the Strait of Singapore.

'Bunga Kelana 3 has made her way, under her own power, and is now safely anchored south of Changi East in the Singapore straits,' said AET, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysian energy logistics group MISC Berhad.

It added that the condition of MV Waily was 'stable'. It is also anchored in the Singapore straits.

'Work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill,' the MPA said.

The response craft are equipped with 41 tonnes of non-toxic and bio-degradable oil spill dispersants, two skimmers with fast tanks to collect the oil and 1,500 metres of containment booms.

'Traffic in the TSS remains unaffected,' said the MPA. 'MPA's Port Operations Control Centre has issued navigational broadcasts to ships transiting the TSS to keep clear of the anchored vessels.'

'Singapore will continue to render full assistance and cooperation to the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities to contain and clean up the oil spill, in line with the Standard Operating Procedure for Joint Oil Spill Combat in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore,' said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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