East Coast Beach, Changi Beach clear of oil stains
Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid Channel NewsAsia 30 May 10;
SINGAPORE: There's good news on efforts to contain and clean up an oil slick caused by the collision of two vessels in Singapore.
The spill came from the Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3, which was carrying nearly 62,000 tonnes of crude when it collided on Tuesday with the MV Waily, a bulk carrier registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines. About 2,500 tonnes of crude leaked from a gash in the double-hulled tanker.
Authorities said on Sunday that the slick, which closed public beaches on Singapore's eastern coastline, has been mostly contained. Waters off East Coast Beach and Changi Beach are now clear of oil stains.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said there are also no oil patches visible at sea. The agency said the petroleum-like smell at both beaches is now hardly detectable.
But work is still underway to clear the 60.4 tonnes of contaminated sand removed from the affected beaches. The contaminated sand will be disposed off at the Semakau Offshore Landfill.
Since Wednesday, nearly 500 workers have been mobilised to clean up the oil on the affected beaches.
Though the situation is improving, NEA said that the two beaches will still be closed pending ongoing checks on the water quality, which is expected to return to normal in a few days.
Till then, the public has been advised to refrain from swimming and engaging in water activities.
But some beach-goers were already having a go. One of them said: "We were looking at the beach and it seems that they have cleared up most of the oil stain, so we thought that it is ok to go back into the water."
"I don't think the water is that bad. The past two days, I have also been sailing. I came back with some oil slick on the board and on the sail....just do some cleaning. I think that will do," said another.
The NEA added that cleaning efforts at the vulnerable natural reserve at Chek Jawa were also almost complete. "At Chek Jawa, 98 percent of cleaning is complete. Only small patches of oil film are visible on the water surface," the agency said.
- CNA/ir
No more oil stains at beaches along Changi and East Coast
Daryl Chin Straits Times 31 May 10;
THE beaches along the East Coast and Changi have been cleared of oil stains and there are no longer oil patches in the waters just off Singapore.
However, last Tuesday's spill has spread farther north to Malaysia.
Although Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said the beaches have been cleaned up, affected coastal areas remain closed pending ongoing checks on water quality.
'The water quality is expected to take a few days to return to normal. Members of the public are advised to refrain from swimming or engaging in water activities in these areas until further notice,' an NEA spokesman said yesterday.
The agency also noted that it has not detected any toxic chemicals in the air that will pose health risks.
Elsewhere, the cleaning of Chek Jawa, a nature reserve which is home to a diverse ecosystem on Pulau Ubin, is almost complete, with only small patches of oil film visible on the water's surface.
While still open to visitors, the National Parks Board (NParks) has suspended guided walks at the reserve until June13.
Already, 60.4 tonnes of oil contaminated sand bags have been removed from the beaches and disposed of at the Semakau offshore landfill. More will be collected this week.
In a press statement issued yesterday, the Maritime and Port Authority Of Singapore (MPA) said passing ships and aircraft had noticed further patches of oil in Malaysian waters and the shipping lanes to the east of Singapore.
MPA has informed its Malaysian counterparts of this and has offered assistance, it added.
Closer to home, MPA said that several oil patches - each about 50m long - sighted off the SAF Yacht Club facilities at Admiralty Road West had been cleaned up. But the possibility of small isolated patches of oil with debris remained.
Going forward, the agencies involved have said they will continue to monitor the situation closely.
The pollution is the result of a collision between an oil tanker and a bulk carrier last Tuesday morning. As a result, some 2,500 tonnes of oil spilled into the water and caused a 4 sq km slick.
To date, NEA and ship operator AET have mobilised about 500 workers to clean up the oil on affected beaches, including 14 NEA officers who continue to keep an eye on East Coast Park, Changi Beach and Pulau Ubin.
NEA also used the opportunity to conduct a trial last Friday on a new technology for oil contamination clean-up at a jetty along East Coast beach.
Named 'Eco-Blue - Industrial Blend', the plant-derived, water-based, readily biodegradeable solution serves as a clean-up and mitigation agent for use on a wide range of hydrocarbon products.
According to its supplier Green Clean Dynamics, the blend biodegrades and breaks down the oil progressively within 28 days.
Effects of the spill may linger for years
Grace Chua Straits Times 31 May 10;
SHORE and marine life will feel the impact of last Tuesday's oil spill for some time to come, experts here have said.
The disaster, meanwhile, has galvanised environmentalists and other members of the public into volunteering their time to rescue shore creatures and documenting the spill.
The spill, which tipped some 2,500 tonnes of crude oil into the ocean off Changi East, has slicked creatures such as crabs at East Coast and sea snails at Changi Beach.
The affected beaches - which, besides the Chek Jawa wetlands, are largely reclaimed land - have mostly been cleaned up.
Their shoreline ecosystems harbour life like peanut and acorn worms, sea snails, ghost and hermit crabs, and even a patch of coral at the Tanah Merah seawall.
When oil slicks hit, they prevent corals from getting enough sunlight, cut off oxygen by coating plants and fish gills, and harbour volatile organic compounds that can poison marine life, explained marine biologist Chou Loke Ming.
If most of the oil is removed, the impact from poisons and a lack of oxygen can be reduced, Professor Chou said, but spraying dispersant chemicals can break up the oil into smaller droplets which can sink to the bottom and affect marine life deeper in the sea.
In the longer term, how long will shores take to recover? Marine life may take three to four years, depending on the severity of the impact, Prof Chou said.
Commenting on how long oil from a spill lingers in the environment, climate expert Michael Totten, of international non-governmental organisation Conservation International, said that would depend on the type of oil, location, currents and weather conditions.
For instance, more than 98 tonnes of oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska still lingers in the sands of Prince William Sound, as the remote area was hard for clean-up teams to reach.
The recent oil spill has also prodded members of the public into action.
Volunteers from environmental groups like ECO Singapore and the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) have been hard at work cleaning up shores and rescuing animals since Thursday. And ordinary people have visited the affected shores at low tide to document the damage.
Last Friday, some 20 volunteers from Acres and ECO Singapore spent hours at East Coast Park. Oil had seeped into the sand and there was a smell in the air as volunteers dug out oil-covered crabs and shellfish.
The work attracted attention and help from beachgoers, even those who had never heard of the animal-issues or environmental groups.
Miss Jenny Chan, 40, and Miss Joyce Lee, 39, were cycling along a path when they saw Acres' sign calling for volunteers, stopped out of curiosity, and decided to stay and help.
Over the weekend, the same groups were helping out at Pulau Ubin's Chek Jawa shore and Changi Beach, both of which were hit by oil slicks on Friday.
Environmentalists like WildSingapore's Ria Tan have been visiting shores from Changi to East Coast to document the damage and help check for new slicks. Their reports appear on nature blogs, as well as a Facebook page dedicated to the Changi East oil spill.
East Coast, Changi beaches clear of oil stains
Hetty Musfirah Andul Khamid Today Online 31 May 10;
SINGAPORE - The oil slick that closed public beaches on Singapore's eastern coastline, following the collision of two ships on Tuesday, has been mostly contained, according to the authorities.
Cleaning efforts at the vulnerable natural reserve at Chek Jawa were also almost complete.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the waters at East Coast Beach and Changi Beach are now clear of oil stains. There are also no oil patches visible at sea and the petroleum-like smell at both beaches is now hardly detectable.
But work is still underway to clear the 60.4 tonnes of contaminated sand removed from the affected beaches.
The contaminated sand will be disposed of at the Semakau Offshore Landfill.
Nearly 500 workers have been mobilised since Wednesday to clean up the oil on the affected beaches.
Although the situation is improving, the NEA said that the two beaches will remain closed pending results on the water quality, which is expected to return to normal in a few days.
It has advised the public to refrain from swimming and engaging in water activities there.
But some beach-goers MediaCorp spoke to were already having a go.
"We were looking at the beach and it seems that they have cleared up most of the oil stain, so we thought that it is ok to go back into the water," said wind-surfing enthusiast Eddy Chan.
Said wind-surfer, William Loo: "I don't think the water is that bad. Over the past two days, I have also been sailing.
"I came back with some oil on the board and on the sail ... Just do some cleaning. I think that will do."
Some beach-goers were also heading to unaffected areas like Pasir Ris.
The NEA said that 98 per cent of the cleaning at Chek Jawa was complete and that "only small patches of oil film are visible on the water surface".
Although visitors can still go there, guided walks have been suspended for two weeks since May 29 to allow the National Parks Board to better monitor the situation.
The NEA said it will also continue to carry out surveillance at East Coast Park, Changi Beach and Pulau Ubin.
Meanwhile, the damaged vessel has been moved to a Johor anchorage.
The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore said that passing ships and aircraft yesterday observed further patches of oil in Malaysian waters and to the east of Singapore.
MPA's Malaysian counterparts have been informed, and the authority is offering assistance.
Separately, no oil slick was reported in off Changi East, or within the anchorages of Singapore's port waters.
Isolated patches of oil with debris were sighted in the waters just off the SAF Yacht Club and Changi Naval Base, but were cleaned up.
The MPA said a response craft will remain in place to deal with any oil patch.
Collision between MT Bunga Kelana 3 and MV Waily in the Singapore Strait - Update 7
MPA media release 30 May 10;
Containment and clean up efforts following the collision between the Malaysian-registered tanker, MT Bunga Kelana 3 and the St Vincent and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily continued for the sixth day.
Efforts to contain and clean-up the oil spill have been positive. As of this afternoon, no oil slick was reported in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) off Changi East or within the anchorages of Singapore's port waters. The waters around Pulau Tekong, off Chek Jawa and off East Coast Park were also observed to be clear of oil patches.
Isolated patches of oil with debris were sighted today in the waters just outside SAF Yacht Club and Changi Naval Base.The patches were promptly cleaned up. The possibility of small isolated patches of oil with debris surfacing remains. MPA is monitoring our waters closely and response craft remain in place ready to deal with any oil patches.
Efforts at sea today involved the following:
-*No. of craft deployed: 23
-Containment booms:1190metres
-No. of vacuum truck: 1
-No. of harbour buster: 1
-No. of skimmers: 3
-No of seaward personnel deployed: 125
Further patches of oil slick were observed today in Malaysian waters and in the TSS to the east of Singapore by passing ships and aircraft. MPA has informed our Malaysian counterparts of the observations and have offered our assistance in line with the Standard Operating Procedure for Joint Oil Spill Combat in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. MPA is closely monitoring the situation carefully.
-Traffic in the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Singapore Strait remains unaffected.
-Members of the public can contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2489 to report any sighting of oil in our waters or coastlines.
-Further details will be released when available.
MPA says efforts to clean up oil spill show "positive results"
Channel NewsAsia 31 May 10;
SINGAPORE : The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) has said efforts to contain and clean up the oil spill from a collision at sea last Tuesday have shown "positive results".
Waters from Changi Naval Base to East Coast Park are clear of any oil patches.
MPA said that as of Monday, there has not been any report of oil patches in the Singapore Strait south of Changi.
So far, traffic in the Singapore Strait has remained unaffected.
MPA, however, cautioned that there is a possibility of small isolated oil patches with debris surfacing.
It added that it will continue to monitor the waters closely and carry out clean-up work if necessary.
Currently, the various craft involved in the containment and clean-up efforts remain deployed at sea round-the-clock.
MPA said it will continue to work with the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities, in line with the Standard Operating Procedure for Joint Oil Spill Combat in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
It has also offered assistance to the Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts, should it be needed.
The public can contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2489 to report any sighting of oil slick in Singapore's waters or coastlines.
- CNA/al
