Oil slicks spotted at East Coast Park beach

Tan Tam Mei and Lim Yaohui Straits Times 19 Jul 17;



SINGAPORE- The usually scenic sea view of East Coast Park was stained with slicks of black oil along the shore and waters on Wednesday (July 19) evening.

When The Straits Times arrived at the stretch of affected shoreline near Carpark F2, there was a greasy smell in the air. Black patches of oil were also seen along the beach and were estimated to affect a stretch of about 300m.

Contractors from the National Environment Agency (NEA) were also spotted near the affected beach area.
Mr Daniel Tong, 43, assistant operations director of De-Prospero, which runs restaurant Central Thainearby, said he first noticed the smell of "raw oil" at around 5.30pm.

"I was walking past when I saw the oil spill that was around the break of the waves," he said.

He added that business at the restaurant, which has an alfresco dining area and is located about 50m from the affected stretch, was slightly affected as patrons were bothered by the smell.

"Hopefully this can be taken care of soon because it's not good for the environment," said Mr Tong.

ST has reached out to NEA and the Marine Port Authority for comment.

Updated 19 Jul 2017 evening:

In a statement on Wednesday night, NEA said that its officers found a section of the shoreline of East Coast Beach "to be affected by an oil patch".

"Clean-up operations at the affected 400m stretch of East Coast Beach will commence tomorrow morning at first light," said a spokesman.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it was alerted to the incident at 5.42pm on Wednesday. At that time, it was informed that "oil was sighted along the beach east of Bedok Jetty", said a spokesman.


"MPA has deployed patrol boats with oil dispersants along the area. There has been no sightings of oil found at sea. We are currently investigating the situation," he added.

Mr Daniel Tong, 43, assistant operations director of De-Prospero, which runs restaurant Central Thai nearby, said he first noticed the smell of "raw oil" at around 5.30pm.

"I was walking past when I saw the 'oil spill' that was around the break of the waves," he said.

He added that business at the restaurant, which has an alfresco dining area and is located about 50m from the affected stretch, was slightly affected as patrons were bothered by the smell.

"Hopefully this can be taken care of soon because it's not good for the environment," said Mr Tong.

Meanwhile, people are advised to exercise caution when visiting the beach, and to avoid the affected stretches where cleaning operations are ongoing, said the NEA spokesman, adding that the agency is also "closely monitoring the quality of the seawater".


Oil slick tars stretch of East Coast Park
A 400m-long portion of beach area affected, clean-up operations will start at first light today
Tan Tam Mei Straits Times 20 Jul 17;

Black patches of oil washed up on a stretch of East Coast Park yesterday, leaving parts of both the shoreline and waters covered with the substance.

When The Straits Times arrived at the stretch of affected shoreline near Carpark F2, there was a greasy smell in the air.

Contractors from the National Environment Agency (NEA) were spotted near the affected beach area - which NEA said was about 400m long.

Mr Daniel Tong, 43, assistant operations director of De-Prospero, which runs the Central Thai restaurant nearby, said he first noticed the smell of "raw oil" at around 5.30pm yesterday. "I was walking past when I saw the oil around the break of the waves," he said.

He added that business at the restaurant, which has an alfresco dining area and is located about 50m from the affected stretch, was slightly affected as patrons were bothered by the smell.

"Hopefully this can be taken care of soon because it's not good for the environment," said Mr Tong.

Business adviser Guo Yanhuai, in his 50s, was jogging along the track at East Coast Park when he, too, noticed the smell. He discovered the black patches of oil when he headed towards the beach to investigate.

NEA said that clean-up operations will start today "at first light".

"Members of the public are advised to exercise caution when visiting this section of the beach and to avoid the affected stretches where cleaning operations are on-going. NEA is also closely monitoring the quality of the seawater," said the NEA spokesman.

The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said it was alerted at 5.42pm to the incident. It said in a statement: "MPA has deployed patrol boats with oil dispersants along the area. There has been no sighting of oil found at sea. We are investigating the situation."

•Additional reporting by Lim Yao Hui


Clean-up operations at East Coast Park begin after beach was tarred by oil slick
Felicia Choo Straits Times 20 Jul 17;

SINGAPORE - Clean-up operations have started at East Coast Park, where a 400m section of the beach was covered with an oil slick on Wednesday (July 19).

When The Straits Times visited the affected area at around 8am on Thursday (July 20), workers were seen shovelling the sand covered by oil into wheelbarrows and transferring them into bags.

A spokesman for the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Wednesday that "members of the public are advised to exercise caution when visiting this section of the beach and to avoid the affected stretches where cleaning operations are ongoing".

It added that it was closely monitoring the quality of the seawater.

The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said it was alerted at 5.42pm on Wednesday to the incident. It said in a statement: "MPA has deployed patrol boats with oil dispersants along the area. There has been no sighting of oil found at sea. We are investigating the situation."

The Straits Times has contacted NEA and MPA for updates on the situation.

In January, an oil spill affected beaches here when two vessels collided near Pasir Gudang Port in Johor. Beaches at Changi, Punggol and Pasir Ris, as well as Pulau Ubin and Coney Island were all affected. More than 200 personnel were involved in the cleanup.


NEA cleaning up oil spill at East Coast Park beach
Channel NewsAsia 20 Jul 17;

SINGAPORE: Clean-up operations at East Coast Park began on Thursday (Jul 20) after an oil slick was found at a 400m section of the beach, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said.

NEA officers found the oil patch on Wednesday and started the clean-up on Thursday at first light.

A spokesman advised members of the public to exercise caution when visiting this stretch of the beach and to avoid the affected sections while cleaning operations are ongoing.

NEA is also closely monitoring the quality of the seawater, it said.





East Coast Park beach reopened after oil spill clean-up
Channel NewsAsia 20 Jul 17;

SINGAPORE: An oil slick at East Coast Beach has been cleaned up, and the affected section of the beach is once again open to the public, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Thursday (Jul 20) evening.

Reader Chris Ngu tweeted pictures of the slick to Channel NewsAsia, saying he had been at the beach at about 5.30pm on Wednesday evening.

Authorities were notified of the oil slick on Wednesday evening, and NEA officers started the clean-up at first light on Thursday.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it was alerted to the incident at 5.40pm on Wednesday and that it immediately sent four patrol boats with oil dispersants to the area.

An NEA spokesman earlier advised members of the public to exercise caution when visiting the beach and to avoid the affected stretches where clean-up operations were ongoing.

NEA was closely monitoring the quality of the sea water, he added.

MPA said it is investigating the situation and that there have been no sightings of oil at sea.


Oil slick at East Coast Park: Affected section of beach re-opened after cleanup operation
Felicia Choo Straits Times 20 Jul 17;

SINGAPORE - The section of East Coast Beach, which had been tarred by an oil slick since Wednesday, has been re-opened to the public.

In an update on its website and Facebook page on Thursday (July 20), the National Environment Agency (NEA) said cleaning operations at the affected stretch of East Coast Beach, near Car Park F2 and the Bougainvillea Garden, has been completed.

It said test results have shown that the seawater quality is normal, and added that it is monitoring the situation closely.

The post was uploaded at 5pm.

The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said it was alerted at 5.42pm on Wednesday to the incident.

It said in a statement: "MPA has deployed patrol boats with oil dispersants along the area. There has been no sighting of oil found at sea. We are investigating the situation."

Clean-up operations started on Thursday morning at the beach, where a 400m section of the shoreline was affected by the oil patch.

When The Straits Times visited the affected area at around 8am on Thursday, workers were seen shovelling the sand covered by oil into wheelbarrows and transferring them into bags.

The affected stretch of East Coast Beach near Car Park F2 and the Bougainvillea Garden was temporarily closed to beach-goers to facilitate the clean-up of the affected area by NEA's contractors.

In January, an oil spill affected beaches here when two vessels collided near Pasir Gudang Port in Johor. Beaches at Changi, Punggol and Pasir Ris, as well as Pulau Ubin and Coney Island were all affected. More than 200 personnel were involved in the clean-up.