Environmentalist Calls For Special Team To Tackle Oil Spill
Bernama 2 Jun 10;
KOTA TINGGI, June 2 (Bernama) -- An environmental activist here has called for the setting up of a special team in Pengerang, here, comprising professionals who can be swiftly mobilised to tackle oil spills should the need arise.
Malaysian Nature Society Johor advisor Vincent Chow said the special team was necessary in view of Pengerang's location which overlooks the busy shipping lanes, exposing the area to the risk of oil spills either due to accidents at sea or desludging by ships.
Speaking to Bernama here, he said, oil spill clean up should not be left to fishermen or villagers as they had no expertise or equipment to do so.
Chow said the oil spill caused by the collision between MT Bunga Kelana and MV Waily vessels in Pengerang water recently necessitated the setting up of such team.
He said that unlike the authorities in Singapore, which had moved in swiftly to contain the spill from reaching the republic's shores, "the response here is quite slow."
Meanwhile the Department of Environment said the work to clean up the oil spill was still ongoing in the affected beach between Tanjung Pengelih and Tanjung Punggai.
So far, volunteers had cleaned up 17.5km of the beach, with only 500 metres remaining.
"A total of 10,400 bags containing sand and oil slick and 19,991 litres of oil have been collected," he said, adding that 239 local residents, contractors, volunteers, members of fishermen associations and Rela personnel were involved in the operation.
They continued their work today in Sungai Musoh, Sungai Ahmad and Tanjung Kapal, it added.
It said that the Marine Department was still monitoring the oil spill and that there were no new spills reported.
-- BERNAMA
Oil spill: NGOs urged to help fishermen
New Straits Times 3 Jun 10;
PENGERANG: Concerned with the fate of fishermen following an oil spill incident, Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris, the wife of the Johor Sultan, yesterday visited several affected beaches while distributing hygiene care products to them.
Expressing sadness over the destructive nature of spillage and its impact on local fishermen, Raja Zarith Sofiah urged non-governmental organisations to render assistance to fishermen who had lost their livelihood following the incident.
She spent hours visiting stretches of the polluted Pengerang coast after a briefing from the relevant government agencies.
For a start, she said she would direct the Red Crescent Society to help out.
"The fishermen's association should also chip in as I was told that many of its members have not gone out to sea for the past few days.
"This has severely affected their livelihoods as they have families to support," she said.
Some 121 fishermen received hygiene care products from her.
They represented a total of 634 fishermen from 12 villages affected by the oil spill.
Present were Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim, Pengerang MP Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, Kota Tinggi district officer Ismail Karim and Johor Department of Environment director Dr Zulkifli Abdul Rahman.
Raja Zarith Sofiah said responsible parties should formulate long-term measures to prevent a recurrence.
"I have personally asked Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to carry out a study on the affected areas. We need to find a solution which may involve the enforcement agencies.
"Never have I seen so many vessels docking in international waters off our coastline. At night, they discard waste into the water.
"I am glad that the cleaning work is going on smoothly, with volunteers, fishermen and the authorities collectively doing their respective jobs," she said.
Meanwhile, Dr Zulkifli said the remaining 500-metre stretch from a total of 18km polluted stretch had been cleaned up yesterday.
Clearing sludge near Sungai Musuh was difficult because of the rocky coastline.
"The 239 people involved in the work have collected 10,400 bags of sand, with oil weighing about 20 tonnes."
About 2,000 tonnes of crude oil spilled into the water after MT Bunga Kelana 3, laden with about 61,800 tonnes of crude oil, collided with cargo vessel MV Waily on May 25.
Royal concern over spill
The Star 3 Jun 10;
KOTA TINGGI: The plight of the 1,400 fishermen affected by the oil spill in Pengerang has attracted the attention of the Johor Ruler’s consort.
Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah expressed regret over the catastrophe, which threatened the livelihoods of fishermen here.
“There have been cases of ship wastes and illegal dumping here over the last 15 years, but this oil spill has severely affected the area,” she said during her visit to Pengerang yesterday.
Raja Zarith said she was saddened by how much the area has suffered since the oil spill occurred nine days ago.
“Many of these fishermen have to work hard to support their families, and the pollution has threatened their way of life as they cannot go out to sea,” she added.
She said she would work closely with the Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) and NGOs to help the fishermen here.
Raja Zarith later handed hygiene packs donated by the MRCS to 120 fishermen from the area during her visit here.
During a briefing for the royal visitor, State Department of Environment (DOE) director Dr Zulkifli Abdul Rahman said clean-up efforts of the coastline near Sg Musoh, Sg Ahmad and Tanjung Kapal here would be completed by today.
“Since the oil spill occurred on May 24, a total of 18km of coastline here was affected by the pollution.
“We have already cleaned 17.5km over the past nine days,” he said, adding that a total of 10,490 bags of oil-polluted sand as well as 19,991 litres of oil had been collected.
He said the Southern Region Marine Department would monitor the situation daily to ensure the spots of oil at sea did not reach the coastline.
On May 24, two vessels collided about 13km southeast of Changi East, Singapore causing some 2,000 tonnes of crude oil to spill into the sea.
In Petaling Jaya, the Department of Environment (DOE) said the clean-up operation in Pengerang was nearing completion.
The operation was focused in affected areas between Tanjung Pengelih and Tanjung Punggai and about 17.5km or 97% of the polluted coastline had been cleared since late Tuesday, the department said in a statement yesterday,
The Southern Region Marine Department was monitoring the movement of the oil slick by air and sea. Up till late Tuesday, there were no new oil patches sighted.
Members of the public have been urged to contact the DOE hotline at 1-800-88-2727 if they came across any new oil slick.
