The Star 6 Jun 10;
JOHOR BARU: The beaches in Pengerang, Kota Tinggi, affected by an oil spill following a collision between the MT Bunga Kelana 3 and MV Waily vessels two weeks ago have been cleaned up.
According to a statement from the Department of Environment, the clean-up operations were now focused on Sungai Bongkok and Sungai Haji Ahmad that still had traces of oil.
"A total of 19,860 bags containing contaminated sand and 37,391 litres of oil were collected in the operation," said the statement, adding that 105 people were involved in the clean-up.
Meanwhile, oil spill monitoring operations have ended as no new patches of oil were detected.
The public can report oil patches to the department by contacting 1-800-88-2727. - Bernama
37,000 litres of oil spill sludge cleaned up
The Star 6 Jun 10;
PENGERANG: The Department of Environment (DOE) has collected 37,391 litres of sludge off Pengerang since the clean-up operation of an oil spill started about a week ago.
DOE director-general Datuk Ros-nani Ibarahim said the operation ended on Wednesday but there were still remnants of the oil slick on boulders.
“Some of the oil, which is stuck on the boulders, has to be removed manually.
“We can’t use the dispersant system as it might harm the marine life there,” she said yesterday.
Rosnani said the DOE would transport some of the 19,860 bags of sludge to recycling companies and those which could not be salvaged would be disposed of.
“Our operation now is more towards cleaning up small areas with remnants of the oil slick.
“We are confident it can be done within a few days,” she said, adding that the work was focused only on Sungai Bongkok and Sungai Haji Ahmad.
The oil spill occurred after the MT Bunga Kelana 3 collided with MV Waily in the Singapore Strait on May 25.
Rosnani expressed her gratitude to the 300 people including volunteers who helped in the clean-up operation.
She urged anyone who spotted patches of oil in their area to contact DOE hotline at 1-800-88-2727.
