Extreme droughts in the UK to be 'more common'

Michael McCarthy, The Independent 27 May 10;

Britain is heading for water shortages and crop failures as extreme droughts like that of 1976 become more frequent, experts have warned.

A Met Office study on how climate change could affect the frequency of extreme droughts in the UK has found they will become more common by 2100, and to put the droughts in context, conditions seen in 1976 were used as a benchmark – one of the worst droughts on record.

The Met Office climate model was used to run a number of simulations and in the worst case scenarios, extreme droughts could happen once every decade – making them about 10 times more frequent than today.

Eleanor Burke, climate extremes scientist with the Met Office, said understanding how droughts will affect the UK in the future is vital for plans to adapt to climate change.

She said: "Severe droughts such as the one seen in 1976 have a big impact – causing water shortages, health risks, fire hazards, crop failure and subsidence. Understanding how the frequency of these events will change is therefore very important to planning for the future."

Further research will be aimed at assessing how likely each of the climate model's results is, to give better guidance for people to plan for the consequences of climate change.

While it culminated in the summer of 1976, the drought was actually an 18-month period of below average rainfall starting in May 1975. Only half the normal rainfall fell between June and August in 1976.

Temperatures were 4C above average between June and August across much of southern England, and the bone dry conditions proved a major hazard, with fires breaking out daily. In Surrey, the fire service answered 11,000 calls in five months.

An estimated £500m was lost through crop failure. Dry ground resulted in a surge in subsidence claims on property, with costs amounting to around £60m. A Drought Act was passed and there was widespread water rationing – some rivers, such as the Don and Sheaf in Sheffield, almost dried up.

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Mutant fungus threatens global wheat supply: scientists

Yahoo News 26 May 10;

SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) – Scientists have identified four new strains of a wheat-killing fungus that could endanger the global food supply, according to research presented Wednesday ahead of a conference in Russia.

The mutant strains of the fungus, called Ug99, originated in Africa but are likely to spread into Asia and beyond, said the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI), a US-based advocacy group focusing on wheat contagions.

"The new mutations -- identified last year in South Africa -- will make wheat crops more vulnerable as pathogens now will find new wind trajectories for migration," BGRI said in a statement announcing the new research.

The study identifying the mutations was done at the University of the Free State, South Africa, and is to be presented at the Eighth International Wheat Conference being held in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg next week.

Ug99, a variant of the deadly wheat affliction commonly known as stem rust, is a reddish-brown, wind-borne fungus that causes plants to fall over and can wipe out an entire harvest.

It emerged in East Africa a decade ago and has since spread as far as Yemen and Iran, leading scientists to scramble to develop new, Ug99-resistant breeds of wheat, BGRI said.

The new strains of the fungus are a "grave challenge", David Hodson, a wheat expert at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, was quoted as saying in the statement.

Scientists cited by BGRI said the fungus posed a serious risk to the densely populated and impoverished countries of South Asia, and in the longer term could reach Australia and North America.

Ug99 "threatens to spread into other wheat-producing regions of Africa and Asia, and potentially, the entire world," said Arun Kumar Joshi, a scientist with the Mexico-based International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre.

"The threat is particularly acute in South Asia, which produces 20 percent of world wheat for a population of 1.4 billion people," Joshi added.

Wheat accounts for 30 percent of global grain production and 20 percent of the food calories that the world's population consumes every day, according to data provided by BGRI, which is based at Cornell University.

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Electric Cars Can Win 10 Pct Share By 2020: Report

Gerard Wynn, PlanetArk 26 May 10;

Pure and hybrid electric cars may grab five to 10 percent of a European autos market by 2020 if governments help overcome cost hurdles, said the authors of an engineering academy report published on Tuesday.

Limits included infrastructure costs of about 5,000 pounds ($7,152) per roadside charge spot, plus costly lithium batteries with a limited range of about 100 miles. In addition, cross-border standards were needed for plugs and billing. "There is no obvious source of funding for such infrastructure," found the Royal Academy of Engineering report, referring to the roll-out of clusters of charge spots.

Driving adoption in Britain were targets to curb greenhouse gases, meaning the fossil fuel-dependent country would also have to invest heavily in low-carbon electricity.

"Any likely future UK energy system will almost certainly involve the electrification of a significant proportion of the transport system," said the report, "Electric cars: charged with potential."

In the near term, gasoline hybrids would continue to dominate pure electric vehicle (EV) models, as their flexibility extended driving range and cut dependence on a charging network.

Advantages of electric cars included lower running costs compared with gasoline, said co-author Roger Kemp of Lancaster University.

He estimated the running cost of the full 100 mile range of a standard battery at about 2 pounds ($2.87), assuming a storage capacity of 20 kilowatt hours and British consumer power prices of 10 pence per kilowatt hour.

In addition to a limited range, re-charging time for batteries was a concern at 6-8 hours or more. Faster charging was possible, but could impact the performance of batteries.

One possible solution was to roll out charging stations, based on gasoline filling stations, where drivers would instantly swap their spent batteries for charged ones, leasing these from the station operator.

Kemp considered that business model, favored by multi-million-dollar California start-up company Better Place, as "complicated."

The supply of particular metals to build batteries, notably lithium, was not likely a constraint, however, said Kemp.

"The (global) reserve base represents sufficient lithium for a billion EV batteries, meaning that lithium shortages do not appear imminent," it said.

"The diversity of possible battery chemistries suggests that a shortage of battery materials is unlikely ... in the foreseeable future," added the report which listed lithium, lead, nickel, sodium and zinc-based chemistries.

(Editing by Keiron Henderson)

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Majority Of Firms Will Spend More On Climate Change

Deborah Zabarenko PlanetArk 26 May 10;

Seventy percent of firms with revenue of $1 billion or more say they plan to increase spending on climate change initiatives in the next two years, a global survey reported on Tuesday.

Nearly half of the 300 corporate executives who responded to a survey conducted for the accounting and consulting giant Ernst & Young said their climate change investments will range from 0.5 percent to more than 5 percent of revenues by 2012.

More than four out of five respondents, or 82 percent, said they plan to invest in energy efficiency in the next 12 months, with 92 percent saying energy costs will be an important driver over that period.

Corporate executives were committed to taking action even though they said complying with regulations that vary from state to state or country to country would make that a challenge.

The fact that 70 percent of executives said they planned to spend more on climate change programs was "one of the more stunning findings" of the survey, according to Melanie Steiner of Ernst & Young.

Despite regulatory uncertainty on climate change, "companies are really taking action anyway, because they're seeing that this is a business issue and an opportunity to generate new revenue," Steiner said in a telephone interview.

While action to deal with the effects of climate change used to be a matter of public relations, it has now become an opportunity to make money through new services and products, save money through enhanced efficiency and limit risk, she said.

One sign of this change is that more than 90 percent of those surveyed said climate change governance rests with top executives or board members, with 36 percent saying that the CEO is the most senior person responsible on this issue.

High-level responsibility does not guarantee corporate-wide comprehension of the importance of climate change policies, one survey respondent said.

"I believe the main problem is that organizations do not necessarily recognize or understand the link between climate change-related issues and the future fitness of the organization," the anonymous respondent said. "At a very senior level it is given importance. However, at lower levels there is (a lack of knowledge) of the issue."

The survey, conducted by the independent analyst research firm Verdantix, followed an anonymous methodology, so no respondents were quoted by name.

Respondents were drawn from 16 countries: Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Japan, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

They included executives across 18 industry sectors from airlines to media to consumer products to real estate.

(Editing by Eric Beech)

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EU stops short of recommending 30% cut in emissions by 2020

Climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard claims that economic crisis has made it cheaper to move to higher target
David Adam and Ian Traynor guardian.co.uk 26 May 10;

The European commission today reopened the debate on whether Europe should volunteer to cut its carbon emissions further, but stopped short of recommending such a move.

Connie Hedegaard, climate commissioner, said the recession would make it cheaper than expected for the continent to hit its target to reduce carbon pollution 20% by 2020. Raising the target to 30% by 2020 would also cost less than first calculated.

Hedegaard said: "Whether to increase our reduction target for 2020 from 20% to 30% is a political decision for the EU leaders to take when the timing and the conditions are right. Obviously, the immediate political priority is to handle the [financial] crisis. But as we exit the crisis, the commission has now provided input for a fact-based discussion. The decision is not for now, but I hope that our analysis will inspire debate in the member states on the way forward."

The analysis had been widely trailed, but was altered to play down the merits of raising the targets after late objections from some countries. Early drafts said the 20% target was not enough; this was changed to the target being a first step. Today's communique also emphasises that the "conditions are not right" for such a move.

The document says it will cost €48bn a year to hit the 20% target, down from €70bn when the goal was set two years ago. The 30% target is estimated to cost €81bn a year. At present, the EU only plans to introduce the 30% target if other countries pledge similar cuts as part of a new global climate deal.

The commission's costs-benefits analysis of whether to shift to more ambitious carbon cutting targets presages a summer of infighting and intense lobbying across the EU. Sources in Brussels said Hedegaard is keen to commit to more ambitious European targets, but is being pressured by colleagues in the commission to hedge her bets.

Germany has been the strongest advocate of moving to a 30% target only in the context of a global agreement and of retaining the option as a bargaining chip in the climate change negotiations. The Italians and the east European members of the EU also oppose committing to 30% cuts.

The new coalition government in the UK, by contrast, emphasises the EU's pioneering role on climate change and would support a unilateral pledge on deeper cuts.

"We will push for the EU to demonstrate leadership by supporting an increase in the EU emissions reduction target to 30% by 2020," said Chris Huhne, the energy and climate change secretary.

Today's analysis will go before EU environment ministers next month and possibly to a summit of EU government leaders also in June. The government chiefs would need to agree for the 30% cuts to become EU policy ahead of further international talks on global warming in December in Cancun, Mexico.

EU cools rhetoric on deeper unilateral emissions cuts
Yahoo News 26 May 10;

BRUSSELS (AFP) – The European Commission, under pressure from industry and member states, on Wednesday cooled its enthusiasm for the EU to unilaterally commit to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent.

"Are conditions right? Would it make sense at this moment? The answer would be no," admitted EU Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, presenting a much-awaited climate paper.

A day earlier Germany, France and others had voiced opposition to the main thrust of the paper, that the EU should consider unilaterally deepening its pledged emissions cuts from 20 percent, as currently agreed, to 30 percent by 2020.

The Brussels backpedalling from the 30 percent goal was most evident in a few very late changes to its published paper.

"The purpose of this communication is not to decide now to move to a 30 percent target: the conditions set are clearly not met," the final version insists in a sentence absent from an earlier draft seen by AFP last week.

At her press conference the EU commissioner said any decision to increase the reduction target "is a political decision for the EU leaders to take when the timing and the conditions are right... The decision is not for now."

"Back to realism," was how the relieved European steel industry body Eurofer greeted Hedegaard's comments, as Europe struggles out of recession.

Many capitals will happily put such considerations on the back burner as they struggle with the more pressing task of pulling their economies out of a debt stranglehold.

The message from German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle and France's Industry Minister Christian Estrosi on Tuesday was very clear.

"We have shared our concerns at the commission's proposal," said Estrosi.

"The European Union is ready to adopt the 30 percent figure if other major economies make comparable undertakings," the French minister added.

The EU's conditional 30 percent offer was put on the table, but not reciprocated by other major industrialised powers, at last December's world climate talks in Copenhagen. Currently Europe has agreed only to cut emissions by 20 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels.

The commission, which hopes EU heads of state and government will consider its proposals at their summit on June 17, stresses in its paper the "advantage of acting earlier rather than later."

Such a move would bring "significant long-term benefits for Europe's competitiveness, by maintaining a strong position in a rapidly growing global market for low-carbon technologies."

The commission estimates in its paper that the total cost of such a move would be some 81 billion euros (100 billion dollars), just 11 billion more than had originally been costed in for the agreed 20 percent emissions cut.

Environmental group Greenpeace seized on the EU figures that suggested that making deeper cuts would be not only cheaper than previously thought but also bring benefits to the environment and the economy alike.

"I think it is important that we have facts on the table and not scare-mongering from industry," a Greenpeace spokesman told AFP.

Britain is leading EU nations which want the deeper cuts in greenhouse gases.

"Global climate change is the biggest challenge the world faces.... That's why we will push for the EU to demonstrate leadership by supporting an increase in the EU emissions reduction target to 30 percent by 2020," said Britain's Secretary of State for Climate Change Chris Huhne.

Hedegaard's problems were not just external.

Her boss, EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, "doesn't want any problems with the member states," and told her so, one European diplomat said.

However Hedegaard warned that Europe was losing its edge in the development of new green technologies, with China and the US moving quicker.

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Global CO2 Emissions To Rise 43 Percent By 2035: EIA

Timothy Gardner, PlanetArk 26 May 10;

The world's emissions of carbon dioxide from burning coal, oil, and natural gas should rise 43 percent by 2035 barring global agreements to reduce output of the gases blamed for warming the planet, the top U.S. energy forecaster said on Tuesday.

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from the fossil fuel sources should rise from 29.7 billion tonnes in 2007 to 42.4 billion tonnes in 2035, the Energy Information Administration said in its annual long-term energy outlook.

Much of the rise will occur in rapidly growing developing countries like China and India where electricity demand is expected to soar.

"With strong economic growth and continued heavy reliance on fossil fuels expected for most of the non-(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) economies under current policies, much of the projected increase in carbon dioxide emissions occurs among" those developing countries, the EIA report said.

In the absence of national policies on emissions and binding international agreements to fight climate change, global coal consumption is expected to rise from 132 quadrillion British thermal units in 2007 to 206 quadrillion Btu in 2035, the EIA said.

Rich countries and developing countries have had trouble agreeing on a pact that would cut greenhouse gas emissions enough to prevent the droughts, heat waves, and floods expected from global warming.

The stalled U.S. climate bill, which if passed could help bring countries together, faces an uncertain future as lawmakers in coal- and oil-producing states oppose it. The United States is the world's second leading emitter of greenhouse gases after China.

(Editing by David Gregorio)

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Best of our wild blogs: 26 May 10

Any crude on our shores? (25 May)
from wild shores of singapore

What is being done about the oil spill? (25 May)
from wild shores of singapore and video clips of the spill

Will the oil spill reach Singapore shores? (26 May)
from wild shores of singapore

Ship collision and oil spill in the Singapore Strait
from Habitatnews

Job opportunity: TMSI has two marine biology research officer positions for immediate hire from The Biodiversity crew @ NUS

Been to Cyrene: "Magic in my own backyard"
from Cyrene Reef Exposed!

Bird Brain?
from My Itchy Fingers

Raffles Museum Treasures: Blue coral
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

Do birds swallow papaya seeds?
from Bird Ecology Study Group

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Oil spill off Changi East: MPA media release

Collision between MT Bunga Kelana 3 and MV Waily in the Singapore Strait - Update 2
MPA media release 26 May 10;

Efforts to contain and clean up the oil slick following the collision between the Malaysian-registered tanker, MT Bunga Kelana 3 and the St Vincent and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily continued through the night and Wednesday morning.

Non-toxic and bio-degradable oil spill dispersants were used to break up the oil slick into smaller globules and containment booms were used to contain and prevent the oil slick from hitting the coastlines.

At around 2:00am on 26 May 2010, small patches of oil and sheen were sighted at Changi Naval Base. 6 response craft equipped with dispersants were on site to manage the oil and sheen.

Other than this, the oil slick has not affected Singapore's coastlines. The waters in our anchorages and the Traffic Separation Scheme south of Changi were reported to be clean.

As at 11.30am on 26 May 2010, 15 craft and more than 120 personnel were deployed as part of the containment and clean up efforts. 3,300 metres of containment booms are being used to contain the oil slick.

Weather, tidal and wind conditions play an important role in the containment of the oil slick. Efforts to contain and clean up the oil slick are continuing. Traffic in the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Singapore Straits remains unaffected.

Members of the public can contact MPA's 24-hours Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325 2489 to report any sighting of oil slick in our waters or coastlines.

Further details will be released when available.


ISSUED BY THE MARITIME AND PORT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE (MPA)

For clarifications, please contact:

Ms Serene Tan

MPA media hotline: (65) 8366-2294

Email: Serene_Tan@mpa.gov.sg

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Oil spill off Changi East: Other reports

Singapore Oil Spill Clean-Up Resumes; Tanker Unloads (Update1)
Yee Kai Pin Bloomberg Businessweek 26 May 10;

May 26 (Bloomberg) -- An oil tanker that spilled 2,500 metric tons of crude into the Singapore Strait yesterday is being unloaded as efforts to clean up a slick near the world’s busiest container port resumed.

AET Tanker Holdings Sdn., the owner of the MT Bunga Kelana 3 that collided with the bulk carrier MV Waily, is undertaking an “internal transfer” of Bintulu grade oil, the company said today in an e-mailed statement. The vessel, struck on its port side as it sailed east to west, will be moved after the underwater damage is assessed.

The spill, equivalent to 18,325 barrels, is enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool and is about three days of leakage from BP Plc’s damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico. More than 100 people have been deployed along the coastline in case the spill reaches shore, according to AET, a unit of MISC Bhd., the world’s biggest owner of liquefied natural gas tankers.

The spill hasn’t increased in size or reached shore, Serene Tan, a spokeswoman at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, said today. Yesterday’s collision occurred 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of Changi East.

MISC shares fell for a fifth day, the longest losing streak in five years. They declined 2 percent to 8.25 ringgit at 10.56 a.m. in Kuala Lumpur, against a 0.3 percent gain in the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index.

“The incident caused significant damage to the vessel’s hull,” AET said. “AET is also cooperating fully with Malaysian authorities in readiness of possible clean-up operations along the southeastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia.”

Worst Oil Spill

Singapore’s worst oil spill was in October 1997 when the Cyprus-flagged Evoikos collided with the Thai-registered Orapin Global, a Very Large Crude Carrier. More than 25,000 tons of oil were spilled.

Efforts to contain and clean up the spill resumed today, according to AET. Yesterday’s operations involved 15 emergency response craft, 50 tons of dispersant and 4 kilometers of boom.

“If you have an oil spill in a harbor, a populated area, it’s going to cause some concern,” Stuart Traver, a downstream adviser at energy consultants Gaffney, Cline & Associates Ltd. in Singapore, said yesterday. The spill “is not small -- most environmental organizations get upset about even smaller slicks.”

BP estimated its Gulf of Mexico oil well has been leaking 5,000 barrels a day since an April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which killed 11. Independent scientists have told the U.S. Congress crude was coming out at more than 10 times that rate.

Double Hull

The Malaysia-flagged Bunga Kelana 3, classed as an Aframax tanker, was built in 1998 with 12 cargo tanks, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It has a double hull, a design meant to prevent oil leaks or flooding beyond the outer compartment.

“Double hull does not guarantee there will never be a spill,” said John Vautrain, senior vice-president at consultants Purvin & Gertz Inc. in Singapore. “Double hull means it takes a bigger collision to create a spill. I shouldn’t think it’ll take too long to clean this up.”

The vessel had a loaded draft of 11.4 meters (37.4 feet) yesterday, compared with its maximum of 14.9 meters, based on transmissions captured by AISLive on Bloomberg. This indicates it was almost fully laden when it departed Bintulu, off Malaysia’s Sarawak state, on May 23.

Treasure Marine Ltd. is the beneficial owner of the Waily, Bloomberg data showed. The 25,449-deadweight-ton vessel, flying a St. Vincent & The Grenadines flag, was built in 1983. It sailed from the east Indian port of Paradip about two weeks ago.

--With assistance from Jane Lee in Kuala Lumpur. Editors: Ang Bee Lin, Jane Lee.

Oil from stricken tanker off Singapore being moved
Reuters 26 May 10;

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Crude from the tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 is being transferred out of the vessel on Wednesday after a collision with a bulk carrier in the Singapore Strait a day ago, spilling some 2,500 tonnes of oil, the shipowner said.

The incident caused significant damage to the vessel's hull and resulted in a spill of Bintulu light crude oil that is now being cleaned up by specialists, AET Tanker Holdings said.

Clean-up operations led by Singapore's Marine and Port Authority (MPA) and involving AET continued well into the night, with a total of 15 emergency response craft deployed, equipped with 50 tonnes of dispersant and 4,000 meters of boom, said the firm, a unit of Malaysian transport company MISC Bhd.

MPA said that traffic along the strait, Asia's busiest shipping lane, remained unaffected.

"Efforts resumed early this morning, with the addition of more than 100 personnel deployed along the shoreline in case the spill reaches the coast," AET said in a statement.

"AET is also cooperating fully with Malaysian authorities in readiness of possible clean-up operations along the south eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia."

The Malaysian flagged aframax was carrying about 62,000 tonnes of light crude when it was involved in the collision with the MV Waily, a bulk carrier registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The spill, equivalent to about 18,000 barrels, is dwarfed by the 175,000 barrels of oil that has poured into the Gulf of Mexico since the April 20 offshore explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon rig.

Singapore's environment agency said that the public had complained of an oil smell but it had not detected toxic chemicals in the air.

(Writing by Ramthan Hussain, additional reporting by Seng Li Peng in SINGAPORE and Kuala Lumpur Bureau; Editing by Ed Lane)

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Oil spill off Changi East: Singapore reports

Oil spill off Changi coast
Sujin Thomas & Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times 26 May 10;

A DAWN collision between two large vessels sent some 2,500 tonnes of crude oil spilling into the waters off Changi yesterday morning, causing fish farmers there to brace themselves for possible damage.

The amount of oil spilled was more than enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool and soon spread into a slick measuring 4 sq km.

The huge slick was about 6km from Singapore shores last night and could hit Changi beaches by today if clean-up efforts prove futile.

Some 85 personnel in 20 vessels, including five from the Malaysian authorities, have been mobilised to prevent that from happening, and are bringing chemical dispersants and containment booms to bear in the fight.

About 200 others are on standby in case oil hits the shore.

The 51 fish farms off Changi have been provided with heavy canvas skirting for their nets to prevent oil from seeping in and killing the fish within.

Meanwhile, residents in several parts of the East Coast complained that the air reeked of oil fumes and fretted about possible ill-effects to their health.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement that the smell could have been caused by oil which had evaporated. But there was no cause for alarm, they said, as no toxic chemicals were detected in the air.

The collision took place at about 6am yesterday, the MPA said. The vessels involved, the Malaysian-owned tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 and the St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier MV Waily, crashed into each other in the Singapore Strait, about 13km from Changi's shore.

The Bunga Kelana 3, which had left a port in Bintulu, Sarawak, earlier in the morning and was headed for Malacca, suffered damage to one of its cargo tanks. The light crude oil in the tank then leaked into the sea. The Straits Times understands the tank was not filled to capacity.

The Waily was heading towards the south of Johor and was carrying minerals.

The ships involved are in no danger of sinking. There are also no reports of injuries to the crew of either vessel, all of whom are foreigners.

The MPA dispatched four patrol and emergency response craft to the area immediately after being notified of the collision. Other vessels were sent later as the extent of the spill became known.

One of the companies involved in the clean-up, Jurong-based Oil Spill Response, told The Straits Times it was activated by MPA at about 1.30pm. It dispatched a vessel carrying five men equipped with dispersant sprays to break the crude oil into small biodegradable droplets. These are later pumped out or skimmed from the water's surface.

The company's operations manager, Mr Ho Yew Weng, said: 'The oil is very light, and with the heat...I'm sure a lot of it would have evaporated.'

Other measures to contain the spill include the deployment of 1,500m of heavy canvas containment booms.

Experts such as Professor Chou Loke Ming from the National University of Singapore are monitoring the spill to see if there is an impact on the shoreline.

If containment fails, Prof Chou said, the oil could foul Singapore shores within a day. 'It will depend on the hydrological conditions at the time, such as the prevailing direction and strength of the wind and tides.'

However, he added that any environmental damage is unlikely to be significant as the area is largely made up of reclaimed land, sea walls and canals.

The worst oil spill incident in Singapore waters occurred in 1997, when 25,000 tonnes of oil spewed into the sea after a collision between a Very Large Crude Carrier and an oil tanker.

Scramble to contain oil spill after ships collide
200 on standby to clean up the coast if need be
Hetty Musfirah Today Online 26 May 10;

SINGAPORE - Something was not smelling right between noon and 3pm yesterday to people in the business district and the port at Tanjong Pagar.

Like some residents in the East who called the MediaCorp hotline said there was a kerosene-like smell in the air.

He could also smell smoke, said Mr Yow from Marina Bay who called the hotline at 1.45pm.

Two ships - a Malaysian registered oil tanker and a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier - had collided in the commercial stretch of the Singapore Strait just 13km off Changi.

The accident happened just after 6am.

The tanker's left cargo tank had a 10-metre gash, resulting in an oil spill which - by afternoon - covered an area of about 4km by 1km.

The kerosene-like smell that wafted to shore was due to some of the lighter portions of the oil evaporating, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The NEA did not detect any toxic chemicals in the air.

The waters around Ubin and Pasir Ris were not contaminated at press time, but the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has given fish farm owners plastic sheets that can protect these stock to a depth of 3 metres.

Most of the fish are kept 3m below the water's surface, but farm owners felt that the spill will not cause as much damage as the plankton bloom last December.

"We are now experiencing southern winds. So, the oil spill is expected to reach the farm in two or three days.

"Fortunately, by then, the toxicity would be less and the oil would have diluted," said Mr Philip Lim, the owner of a fish farm.

Waterways Watch chairman Eugene Heng said there are concerns over the oil spill regardless of its severity.

"Even if it doesn't reach our shores, the pollution could affect marine life," he said.

It is estimated that some 2,500 tonnes of crude oil were spilled into the waters.

Containment and clean-up efforts were led by MPA, with more than 80 people on site yesterday evening.

About 20 vessels - some equipped with non-toxic and bio-degradable agents - were deployed to break up the slick.

A total of 1,500 metres of containment booms were used to stop the slick from spreading and to facilitate collection by two skimmers.

MPA is also working with AET, the operator of the tanker, the MT Bunga Kelana 3, to have 200 personnel on standby to clean up the coast should the need arise.

Operators of marinas and waterfront facilities near the area have been alerted, but a salvage expert said much of the oil would evaporate.

"It seems to be a lot but if it is light crude, it will just evaporate," said Mr Ho Yew Weng, response and projects manager of disaster management firm Oil Spill Response Singapore. The hot weather could make the crude disperse even faster.

The tanker - which was carrying almost 62,000 tonnes of crude oil - has been towed to Changi port for repairs. The MV Waily was still anchored at the collision site.

MPA said both parties involved are liable for the costs of the clean up effort.

Additional reporting by Lynda Hong and Jessica Yeo

Oil clean-up in full swing in Singapore straits
2,500t of oil spilled as tanker collides with bulk carrier
Joyce Hooi, Business Times 26 May 10;

(SINGAPORE) A flurry of activity took place in the Singapore straits yesterday, as more than 20 craft and 85 people worked to clean up an estimated 2,500 tonnes of crude oil that spilled into the sea, following a vessel collision.

A Malaysian-registered tanker the MT Bunga Kelana 3 - and a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier called the MV Waily collided in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Strait of Singapore, about 13 km south-east of Changi East, at 603 am yesterday.

By afternoon, a helicopter survey by the Republic of Singapore Air Force had found an oil slick measuring four km by one km, about six km south of Changi East.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has warned marinas, sea sports centres, ferry terminals and other waterfront facilities to brace themselves for the possible impact of the oil spill.

While no crew members have been injured, one of Bunga Kelana 3's cargo tanks was damaged, leading to the oil spill. 'Oil booms are being placed around the leaked cargo to contain the spill,' AET, the operators of the MT Bunga Kelana 3 said in a statement issued yesterday afternoon.

It is working with the MPA to have 200 people on standby to clean up the Singapore coastline if needed.

According to the operator, the Bunga Kelana 3 - a 1998 double-hull crude oil aframax tanker - was reported to have been hit by the MV Waily as the former was travelling from east to west in the Strait of Singapore.

'Bunga Kelana 3 has made her way, under her own power, and is now safely anchored south of Changi East in the Singapore straits,' said AET, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysian energy logistics group MISC Berhad.

It added that the condition of MV Waily was 'stable'. It is also anchored in the Singapore straits.

'Work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill,' the MPA said.

The response craft are equipped with 41 tonnes of non-toxic and bio-degradable oil spill dispersants, two skimmers with fast tanks to collect the oil and 1,500 metres of containment booms.

'Traffic in the TSS remains unaffected,' said the MPA. 'MPA's Port Operations Control Centre has issued navigational broadcasts to ships transiting the TSS to keep clear of the anchored vessels.'

'Singapore will continue to render full assistance and cooperation to the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities to contain and clean up the oil spill, in line with the Standard Operating Procedure for Joint Oil Spill Combat in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore,' said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Related links

• Singapore Changi East Oil Spill (25 May 2010) Facebook Page for latest info, updates and observations of the oil spill.
  
• wild shores of singapore updates with consolidated news and checks on our shores for signs of crude and impact of spill.

Read more!

Oil spill off Changi East: Malaysian and Indonesian reports

Ship crash causes oil spill off Johor
Ahmad Fairuz Othman, Syed Umar Ariff and Lydia Gomez New Straits Times 26 May 10;

JOHOR BARU: Malaysian and Singaporean authorities are working to clean up the spillage of about 2,000 tonnes of crude oil following two ships' collision off Pengerang.

Malaysian Marine Department, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and their Singaporean counterparts have deployed their ships to contain the spillage, which gushed from a 10m gash across the left side of the Port Klang-registered Bunga Kelana 3 tanker.

The other ship involved in the collision, MV Waily, registered in Kingstown, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, did not sustain serious damage and is at the site.

It was filled with iron ore.

MMEA said it had set up booms, or large floating barriers that round up oil and lift them off the water, around the tanker.

Malaysia has mobilised at least four boats and Singapore two tugboats to clean up the spillage.

Bunga Kelana 3 has been towed to Changi, Singapore.

In the incident about 6am, Bunga Kelana 3 was on its way from Bintulu to a Petronas refinery in Malacca.

The tanker, owned by the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC), was carrying 63,054 metric tonnes of light crude and condensate oils.

It was managed by petroleum shipping company AET based in Kuala Lumpur.

MMEA Commander Abdul Hadib Abdul Wahab said none of the ship's crew was injured.

He said there were oil spill spots within a 50m radius of the collision site.

"We are using Shaula 1, a ship belonging to the Marine Department, to control the spillage. However, we have yet to determine the cause of the collision," said Hadib.

A source said at least three MMEA boats and Malaysian marine police personnel had been sent to the area by late morning to assess the situation.

The Department of Environment said favourable sea conditions and wind direction at the site indicated that the crude oil spill was not likely to immediately spread to the shores off Pengerang.

AET corporate communications head Paul Lovell said the ship was anchored at the south of Changi East while work was under way to clean up the spill.

The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MISC.

"Bunga Kelana 3 is reported to have been hit by the bow of the other vessel as the former was travelling from east to west in the traffic separation scheme (TSS) of the Singapore strait."

The ship had 27 crew members.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said its port operations control centre had issued broadcasts to ships heading towards the TSS to stay clear of the anchored vessel and MV Waily, anchored 4km from Bunga Kelana 3.

Traffic in the strait remained unaffected.

MPA said it had sent four patrol and emergency response teams to the affected zone and had alerted oil spill response companies to contain the spill. "MPA has informed the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities of the incident."

Malaysian tanker spills oil after collision off Singapore Tuesday
The Star 25 May 10;

SINGAPORE: A Malaysian-registered tanker, MT Bunga Kelana 3, collided with a bulk carrier in the Singapore Strait about 13km southeast of Changi East on Tuesday morning.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the tanker collided with a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily, in the traffic separation scheme (TSS) in the strait at about 6.10am.

In a statement, the MPA said there was no report of injury to crew members but the tanker suffered damage to one of its cargo tanks, resulting in an oil spill.

The master of the tanker estimated that 2,000 tonnes of crude oil could have spilled into the sea.

Both vessels are currently anchored in the Singapore Strait, with the MV Waily currently about 11 km southeast of Changi East and the MT Bunga Kelana 3 about 7km south of Changi East.

The MPA Port Operations Control Centre had issued navigational broadcasts to ships transiting the TSS to keep clear of the anchored vessels.

Traffic in the TSS remains unaffected.

The MPA had also activated oil spill response companies, which had deployed three craft with oil spill equipment.

Work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill.

The MPA had also informed the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities of the incident, the statement added. - BERNAMA

Indonesia police help clean up oil slick from Malaysian tanker
Antara 26 May 10;

Dumai, Riau (ANTARA News) - Indonesian marine police units on Tuesday converged on a spot in Singapore waters to clean up an oil slick that had formed following a collision between a Malaysian-flagged tanker and a Singaporean-flagged vessel.

The oil slick from an estimated 20,000 tons of crude that had spilled from the damaged "Mt Bunga Kelana 2" tanker had covered an area of about two square kilometers, an Indonesian marine police officer, First Inspector Carita, reported from the scene at 21:00 hours on Tuesday.

The Bunga Kelana 3 was on its way from Bintulu to Sungai Udang Kerteh in Malayswia with 50,000 tons of crude oil in its hold when it was rammed by MV Waily at about 05.05 West Indonesian Time on Tuesday.

The crash made a 20 m X 6 m gash on the left side of the tanker, allowing about 20,000 tons of crude oil to flow into the sea.

None of the two vessels sank and there were no casualties.

After 14 hours of rescue and cleaning up efforts made together with Singapore and Malsyian police, part of the oil slick had been removed, Carita said.

"But we are a little constrained in our work because we use minimal equipment. We will possibly get more personnel and better equipment tomorrow, Wednesday (May 26)," he said.

The accident happened in a narrow strait between Indonesia and Singapore at a spot within Singaporean waters.

Although the vessels involved were not Indonesian and the collision occurred in foreign waters, Indonesia took part in the rescue and cleanup operations because it was called for in an existing international understanding and the oil spill could also affect Indonesian territory, Carita said.

(H-AJM/B003/S026)

Two tankers saved following their collision
Antara 26 May 10;

Dumai, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Malaysian and Singapore tankers which collided in the Singapore strait on Tuesday at 5.05 am local time, had been saved by rescue teams from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapura.

Riau Islands Water Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner M. Yassin Kosasih said Tuesday night that the two tankers, namely MT Bunga Kelana 3 Callsign 9MCY6 GT 57017, IMO No. 9178331 of Malaysia, and MV Waily of Singapura were rescued and did not sink after its oil tank holding 50,000 tons of crude oil had been patched with neutral steel.

"The two ill-fated ships had been towed to Singapore for further investigation," Kosasih said.

He said Indonesian police had the task of merely preventing the oil spill from reaching Indonesian territorial waters.

"Although the accident took place between Malaysian and Singaporean tankers, we also have the obligation to see that the effect of the accident did not have an impact on our territory," he said.

As earlier reported, the collision took place after MT Bunga Kelana 3 of AET Ship management Sdn.Bhd, based in Malaysia, sailing from Bintulu to Sungai Udang Kerteh also in Malaysia exporting at least 50,000 tons of crude oil.

DOE and other agencies to keep tabs on oil leak
The Star 26 May 10;

JOHOR BARU: The Department of Environment (DOE) and other agencies will monitor the oil spill in the Singapore Strait following the collision of two vessels.

State DOE director Dr Zulkifli Abdul Rahman said the department was working with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM), police air wing and marine police to monitor the situation.

“We are closely observing the spill and the direction it is heading. We have also come up with a contingency plan to contain it.

“We do not expect the oil spill to reach our shores but the situation may change depending on the wind and tide,” he said yesterday.

Dr Zulkifli added that special booms would be deployed to help contain the oil spill from reaching the shoreline if necessary.

“We hope to contain the spill because it could affect the livelihood of fishermen in affected areas,” he said.

APMM Tanjung Sedili district enforcement chief Abdul Hadib Abd Wahab said the cause of the collision was still being investigated.

“Initial investigations have found a 10m-wide tear on the side of the Malaysian vessel, MT Bunga Kelana 3, while the other vessel, the MV Waily, sustained only minimal damage,” he said.

The vessels collided in the Singapore Strait about 13km southeast of Changi East yesterday.

Related links

• Singapore Changi East Oil Spill (25 May 2010) Facebook Page for latest info, updates and observations of the oil spill.
  
• wild shores of singapore updates with consolidated news and checks on our shores for signs of crude and impact of spill.

Read more!

Fish farm owners brace for potential damage from oil spill

Jessica Yeo Channel NewsAsia 25 May 10;

SINGAPORE : Fish farms located in the Ubin-Pasir Ris area are not too worried about the oil spill resulting from the tanker collision off the East Coast of Singapore.

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore has given plastic sheets to some 35 fish farm owners to protect the area.

MediaCorp understands that while most of the fishes in the area are housed three metres below the water, the owners feel that the oil spill will not cause as much damage as the plankton bloom that occurred last December.

Fish farm owners say they will not be feeding the fishes when the oil spill reaches them to prevent the fishes from coming up to the surface to eat.

This will deter the fishes, which can survive without food for two to three days, from consuming polluted material.

The public is advised to avoid eating shell fish and mussels as they usually reside on the water's surface.

- CNA/al

Fish farms try to save stock
Jessica Lim Straits Times 25 May 10;

FISH farmers are frantically trying to save their stock of fish, which could die if oil from a two-vessel collision yesterday reaches their net cages.

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), which manages all the fish farms here, says there is a possibility that the oil slick will reach Northeast Singapore on Wednesday.

All 51 farms off the Changi coast are covering their nets with canvas skirting to prevent the oil getting in. The skirting is on loan to them from the AVA. Some farmers are also taking extra precaution, such as lowering their nets deeper into the ocean to minimise exposure to the oil on the surface, or piping oxygen into net cages.

'There is a possibility of the spill reaching Pulau Tekong and Pulau Ubin today, depending on the tides and wind,' said Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore's (AVA) director of agricultural industry Wong Hon Mun. 'What we are doing is taking precautions. Should the oil come, at least the farms are protected.'

An oil slick over the fish farms would deprive stock of oxygen and lead to fish deaths, said Dr Wong, who said the AVA has also stationed two officials on 24-hour-watch at the Changi Ferry Terminal to watch for the slick.

An oil spill contamination would be a double whammy for farmers, many of whom are still reeling from a plankton bloom that hit them in December, which sucked up the oxygen and led to a combined loss of about 400,000 fish.

Scramble to protect fish stock
Farmers cover nets with canvas; some lower nets and pipe in oxygen
Jessica Lim Straits Times 26 May 10;

FISH farmers are frantically trying to save their stock of fish, which could die if oil from a two-vessel collision yesterday reaches their net cages.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), which manages all the fish farms here, says there is a possibility that the oil slick will reach north-east Singapore today.

All 51 farms off the Changi coast are covering their nets with canvas skirting to prevent the oil from getting in. The skirting is on loan to them from the AVA.

Some farmers are also taking extra precautions, such as lowering their nets deeper into the ocean to minimise exposure to the oil on the surface, or piping oxygen into net cages.

'There is a possibility of the spill reaching Pulau Tekong and Pulau Ubin today, depending on the tides and wind,' said AVA's director of agricultural industry Wong Hon Mun.

'What we are doing is taking precautions. Should the oil come, at least the farms are protected.'

An oil slick over the fish farms would deprive stock of oxygen and lead to fish deaths, said Dr Wong, who added that the AVA has stationed two officials at the Changi Ferry Terminal on 24-hour watch for the slick.

An oil spill contamination would be a double whammy for farmers, many of whom are still reeling from a plankton bloom that hit them in December, which sucked up the oxygen and led to a combined loss of about 400,000 fish.

The coastal floating net cage farms supply stock to local supermarkets and restaurants. They also export fish to places like Hong Kong and China.

The farms in Changi contribute about a third of the estimated 3,000 tonnes of fish produced by local farms yearly, said the AVA. The rest is supplied by farms in the Lim Chu Kang area.

Ms Maureen Ng, the owner of a farm off Changi West, is taking steps to avoid the worst.

The 62-year-old has 40 cages of fish and will be putting up the canvas skirting and monitoring water oxygen levels for any changes.

'We are quite worried. Hopefully what we are doing will minimise the damage,' said Ms Ng, concerned that her proposed sale of $17,000 worth of tiger grouper to importers in China next week would be affected.

Mr Chow Chan Yuen, 66, a farmer for the past decade, is not taking any chances. He will lower his nets and pump in oxygen, in addition to putting up the skirting.

'I am scared I will lose everything,' said Mr Chow, who has never encountered an oil spill.

'Last year, we lost about $150,000 because of the plankton bloom.

'If something like that happens again, I don't know if my business can take another hit.'

Related links

• Singapore Changi East Oil Spill (25 May 2010) Facebook Page for latest info, updates and observations of the oil spill.
  
• wild shores of singapore updates with consolidated news and checks on our shores for signs of crude and impact of spill.

Read more!