Channel NewsAsia 4 Jun 10;
SINGAPORE : It is now safe to do water activities at East Coast Beach and Changi Beach.
They were re-opened for such activities Friday.
The National Environment Agency, NEA, said its checks Friday morning revealed that the water at the two beaches have returned to normal.
However, the public may still come across some small tar balls along the shoreline.
NEA says there is no cause for alarm, as contact with the tar balls will not cause any harm.
Anyone who comes into contact with these tar balls can remove them with soap and water.
Members of the public can contact the NEA 24-hour call centre at 1800- 2255632 if they have any queries.
On May 25, two vessels, the MT Bunga Kelana 3 and the MV Waily collided in the eastern waters off Singapore, resulting in an oil spill that spread to the beaches and a nature wetland. - CNA/jy
Update On The Oil Spill Clean-up (8)
NEA press release 4 Jun 10;
Singapore, 4 June 2010 - Checks by NEA this morning revealed that the water at East Coast Beach and Changi Beach have returned to normal. However, the public may still come across some small tar balls along the shoreline. There is no cause for alarm, as contact with the tar balls will not cause any harm. Anyone who comes into contact with these tar balls can remove them with soap and water.
The beaches will be re-opened to the public today for water contact activities.
Members of the public can contact our 24-hour call centre at 1800-CALL NEA (2255632) if they have any queries.
~~ End ~~
For more information, please contact
Call Centre: 1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632)
Email: Contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg
Beaches reopen after a week
Safe to resume all water activities, declares NEA
Amresh Gunasingham Straits Times 5 Jun 10;
BEACHES in the east were opened again yesterday, more than a week after they were closed following an oil spill off the Changi coast.
The reopening of the beaches in Changi, East Coast Park and Pasir Ris comes after days of testing the water in the affected areas, which have been given a clean bill of health, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said yesterday.
It added that all water activities could now be resumed.
The waters had been closed since May 25, when an oil slick caused by a collision of two large vessels off Changi had spread to a 10km stretch of the eastern shoreline.
When The Straits Times visited East Coast Park yesterday, there was a mix of revellers splashing about in the water on an overcast afternoon and other beachgoers who preferred to play it safe, opting to tread carefully on the sand instead of taking a dip.
Although the water appeared clear of oil, the beach was dotted with black tar balls and twigs - enough to put some off taking to the water.
'The beach still looks dirty... I think more cleaning needs to be done before I go in (the water),' said National Junior College student Teresa Liew.
Another visitor, who wanted to be known only as Mr Liow, decided against allowing his primary school-going niece and nephew into the water.
'It looks clean but I'd rather not take the risk,' said the 41-year old civil servant.
NEA said yesterday that the tar balls, which are formed when crude oil mixes with water to form a sticky emulsion that looks like chocolate pudding, did not a pose a health hazard. It said anyone who comes into contact with these tar balls can remove any oil stains with soap and water.
Polytechnic student Suresh Kumar, 19, had no qualms about taking a swim: 'The water tastes a bit saltier than normal, but I do not see the oil.'
A small army of volunteers and cleaners were seen trawling the beach yesterday, picking up litter as well as residue left from the oil spill caused by the collision between Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 and the MV Waily, a bulk carrier registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Some 2,500 tonnes of oil were dumped 13km off the Changi coast. In addition to the eastern coastline, the oil spill subsequently spread to Chek Jawa - a protected 100ha wetland off Pulau Ubin.
Some 60 tonnes of contaminated oil sand bags have been removed since the clean-up began. Efforts over the last 11 days involved more than 20 boats and 120 personnel. Biodegradable dispersants were used to break up the oil while 3.3km of booms were put in place to hold in the spill.
Clean-up costs are estimated to reach hundreds of thousands. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore had previously said both ship owners were 'jointly and severally liable for the cost of the clean-up', although under Singapore law, the tab must first be covered by the oil tanker's operator.
