Singapore, Malaysia hold first joint chemical spill exercise at sea

Channel NewsAsia 9 Apr 14;

SINGAPORE: Singapore and Malaysia on Wednesday held the first-ever joint chemical spill exercise at sea, along the Straits of Johor.

Conducted by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Malaysia Marine Department (MMD), it was held to test the agencies' readiness, a statement from the MPA and Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said.

It added that as part of the bilateral cooperation programme under the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE), the Emergency Response Plan seeks to enhance the preparedness of emergency response agencies from both countries in tackling potential chemical accidents involving the seaborne transportation of hazardous chemicals in the Straits of Johor.

The Emergency Response Plan is jointly developed by MPA, MMD, National Environment Agency (NEA) and Johor Department of Environment (DOE).

To address any chemical spill incidents at sea, MPA has put in place the Chemical Contingency Plan (Marine), which covers the roles and responsibilities of responding agencies for cleanup operations.

In the event of an incident, MPA will monitor and coordinate cleanup operations at sea, while NEA will monitor the air and water quality and coordinate the cleanup efforts at any affected shore areas.

"Regional cooperation is important as incidents at sea resulting in chemical and oil spills are often transboundary in nature.

Andrew Tan, MPA's chief executive, said: “This is the first bilateral exercise we have conducted to tackle a chemical spill at sea.

"Such an exercise allows us to test regional and multi-agency response capabilities so that we are ever ready and well-prepared to respond swiftly and effectively to any maritime accidents, be it a collision, chemical leak or oil spill."

NEA chief executive officer Ronnie Tay said: "The successful conduct of this joint exercise clearly demonstrates the operational readiness of Singapore and Malaysia agencies in controlling and mitigating chemical spillage incidents in the Straits of Johor.

“The quick and effective responses by the agencies from both countries will serve to minimise the environmental impact of any spill that may occur, and also reflect the strong bilateral ties and close co-operation between the two countries.”

- CNA/nd

Singapore, Malaysia stage chemical spill exercise
Grace Chua The Straits Times AsiaOne 12 Apr 14;

Singapore's maritime agency and its Malaysian counterpart yesterday conducted their first-ever joint chemical spill exercise at sea, in the Strait of Johor.

The exercise was meant to enhance both sides' preparedness to tackle accidents that involve hazardous chemicals being transported along the channel between the two countries, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National Environment Agency in a statement yesterday.

It simulated a spill of 100 tonnes of the petrochemical xylene in Singapore waters, and tested communication and coordination between Malaysia and Singapore, personnel movement, and whether equipment was available, among other things.

While Singapore's chemical industry is mainly located on Jurong Island to the south and west, there are chemical plants at Pasir Gudang in Malaysia along the Johor Strait.

And last week, Malaysia's state oil and gas company Petronas confirmed that it would build a refining and petrochemicals project at Pengerang in Johor, at the eastern end of the Johor Strait, and this would start operating by 2019.

Should a spill occur, the MPA will monitor and coordinate clean-up operations at sea while the NEA will monitor air and water quality while coordinating clean-up efforts on any affected shore areas, the agencies said.

MPA chief executive Andrew Tan said: "Regional cooperation is important as incidents at sea resulting in chemical and oil spills are often transboundary in nature. This is the first bilateral exercise we have conducted to tackle a chemical spill at sea.

"Such an exercise allows us to test regional and multi-agency response capabilities so that we are ever ready and well prepared to respond swiftly and effectively to any maritime accidents, be it a collision, chemical leak or oil spill."

Since 1998, the MPA has conducted several chemical spill exercises both in the field and on paper, to deal with chemicals such as xylene, toluene and benzene. These highly flammable chemicals are used as solvents and as feedstocks for other processes.

The clean-up methods, such as skimming chemicals off the surface of water or pumping pollutants up from the seabed, depend on whether the chemicals evaporate, float, dissolve or sink.