Lively St. John's Island
from wild shores of singapore
Rubber - Fruit and Seed
from Mountain and Sea
Little Bronze Cuckoo processing a hairy caterpillar
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Lords of the Rings? - Singapore's Ypthima species
from Butterflies of Singapore
Dylan Loh Channel NewsAsia 1 Oct 11;
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) says traces of fuel vapour remain in the affected area, two days after the blaze at Shell's Pulau Bukom oil refinery was extinguished on Thursday after a 32-hour battle.
The oil giant and authorities are monitoring the situation, and a fresh batch of firefighters was sent to the island on Saturday morning.
Giving an update, Shell said foaming operations are continuing at parts of the incident site, with damage confined to the vicinity of the pump house.
It added other facilities and units are not affected and only essential operating personnel are on the island.
Shell said it's too early to assess how much the fire will cost the company.
It said efforts are ongoing to bring the situation back to normal at the refinery, the company's biggest.
The company does not expect any shutdown units to be restarted until a thorough investigation has been conducted and safety is assured.
The Ministry of Manpower has stepped in to investigate the cause of the fire.
Shell said it deeply regrets the incident and is talking to customers to address product supply and minimise any potential impact on them.
- CNA/ir
Fuel vapour remains after blaze: SCDF
Today Online 2 Oct 11 04:46 AM
SINGAPORE - The Singapore Civil Defence Force says traces of fuel vapour remain in the affected area after the blaze at Shell's Pulau Bukom oil refinery was extinguished on Thursday after a 32-hour battle.
The oil giant and the authorities are monitoring the situation, and a fresh batch of firefighters was sent to the island yesterday morning.
Giving an update, Shell said foaming operations are continuing at parts of the site, with damage contained to the pump-house's vicinity.
It added that other facilities and units are not affected and only essential operating personnel are on the island.
Shell said it was too early to assess how much the fire will cost the company, adding that efforts are in progress to bring the situation back to normal at the refinery - its largest. It does not expect any shut-down units to be restarted until a thorough probe has been conducted and safety is assured.
The Manpower Ministry has stepped in to investigate the cause of the fire. Dylan Loh
Traces of fuel vapour in Pulau Bukom: SCDF
Tan Dawn Wei Straits Times 2 Oct 11;
Even though the fire at the Shell refinery on Pulau Bukom has been fully extinguished, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is still continuing foaming operations as there are still traces of fuel vapour in the affected areas.
It relieved its fire fighters on Saturday morning and sent in a new crew. About 100 fire fighters, 13 fire engines and 21 support vehicles remain on the island.
Shell said only essential operating personnel are left on the island. Damage was contained to the vicinity of the pump house and other facilities in Bukom are unaffected by the fire, which started on Wednesday.
Shell said it deeply regrets the incident and is talking to its customers about how to minimise the impact of the supply of products to them.
Fidelis E. Satriastanti Jakarta Globe 1 Oct 11;
The government needs to follow other countries’ examples and get Indonesia to kick its addiction to plastic bags.
That’s basically what environmental activists urged on Friday, stating that current initiatives have failed to reduce Indonesia’s use of plastic bags.
Muhammad Ali Akbar, fundraising coordinator for local environmental NGO Walhi, said the country needs to add a ministerial decree or a bylaw on technical requirements for the production and use of plastic bags to the 2009 Law on Environmental Protection and Management.
“The growing pile of plastic waste is unsightly and not easily degradable by microorganisms,” he said, adding that the “abuse” of plastic bags had to stop to avoid further environmental damage.
Jakarta produced about 6,000 tons of waste daily in 2010, according to the city’s sanitation office.
“That year alone, the amount of waste generated by Jakartans was more than 185 times the volume of Borobudur Temple, or 55,000 cubic meters,” Ali added.
After Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo began a campaign against plastic bags in February 2010, Jakarta’s chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) signed an agreement with local administration to use fewer plastic bags at stores.
The Association of Indonesian Retailers (Aprindo) decided to help by promoting shopping bags made from recycled materials, and the Jakarta Sanitation Office, in collaboration with the Indonesia Solid Waste Association (InSWA), urged 40 large retailers in May to use plastic bags that are more environmentally friendly.
InSWA and the city government asked small and medium enterprises as well as local businesses to join the movement. As of September, 60 retailers were participating in the program, Sri Bebassari from InSWA said.
“We gave them rewards to motivate them,” she said.
Head of Jakarta’s Kadin, Edi Kuntadi, said his institution and the Jakarta government will evaluate the plastic bag campaign by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the NGO Walhi is campaigning for a plastic bag diet, working in coordination with printer cartridge refill manufacturer Veneta System and celebrity Melanie Subono.
“Companies such as Veneta, which has 150 outlets nationwide, can help us spread the word about the environmental destruction caused by plastic,” Ali said.
This is Walhi’s first time collaborating with companies on one of its campaigns, Ali told the Jakarta Globe.
“We have been very picky and some people even considered us as ‘exclusive,’ but we realize that we need to reach a larger audience,” Ali said.
“Veneta is also required to commit itself in our campaign for a year and to introduce environmentally friendly practices in its business, including biodegradable plastic bags,” he said.
Additional reporting by Ulma Haryanto
Trinidad Guardian 1 Oct 11;
Government is moving steadily in its effort to cease the slaughtering of turtles after Cabinet approved an amendment of the Fisheries Act earlier this week. The amendment seeks to protect Turtles and Turtle eggs under Section 4 Chapter 67:51 of the Act. Food Production Minister Vasant Bharath said the amendment was a landmark piece of legislation which prohibits the killing, harpooning and sale of turtles.
Bharath made the disclosure as he delivered the feature address at the commissioning of the upgraded Claxton Bay Fish landing site yesterday. He said: “I wish to announce to you that earlier this week I received Cabinet approval for the amendment to the Protection of Turtle and Turtle Eggs Regulations.”
He read the Act which stated: “No person shall, at any time, kill, harpoon, catch or otherwise take possession of any turtle, or purchase, sell, offer or expose for sale or cause to be sold or offered for sale any turtle or turtle meat”.
He further explained: “As you may be aware, Trinidad and Tobago holds the unique position of having nesting populations of five of the seven species of marine turtles occurring worldwide and has one of the largest nesting populations of leatherback turtles in the world, second only to Africa.”
Bharath said that all turtles were regarded as critically endangered worldwide according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) to which T&T was a party.
“What this therefore means, members of the fishing community, is that no longer can turtles be considered a “by-catch”. It is our goal to foster the sustainable use and conservation of fisheries resources, and we urge you to join us,” Bharath said.
BBC 1 Oct 11;
Changing the way sea walls, breakwaters, rock armour and jetties are designed could help Britain's coastline ecology.
Exeter and Plymouth universities have been working with environmental consultants to produce guidance for the design of coastal defence structures.
Researchers claim adding a rough surface to a concrete structure could help increase biodiversity.
The work has been carried out with the support of the Environment Agency (EA).
Previous research has indicated that hard coastal structures, unlike natural rocky shores, often support only a few opportunistic species, such as green algae.
'Valuable' guide
The research team not only examined structures across the South West coast, including Ilfracombe in Devon and Newlyn in Cornwall, but looked at Sydney Harbour in Australia and Seattle Harbour in the US.
They focused on organisms such as barnacles and limpets which dominate rocky shore environments and rapidly colonise hard surfaces, including harbour walls.
Once established, other plants and animals typically follow, to the benefit of species such as salmon.
Dr Larissa Naylor, from the University of Exeter, said small changes to the surface of new structures could improve the number and type of species colonising them.
"Coastal defence structures are essential in protecting people, homes and businesses from flooding and erosion, however, they also impact on the biodiversity of our coastlines," she said.
"This will become even more important as these risks increase as a result of climate change and more hard coastal infrastructure is required in certain locations.
"We have shown that by making small changes, such as producing surfaces that are rough rather than smooth, or leaving niches in sea walls, we can ensure these structures support much more wildlife."
EA staff will look at the recommendations to consider how they could be used in future coastal developments.
'Economic benefit'
"This research is the first to consider the practical challenges of including enhancements into the planning, design and construction of rock and concrete coastal structures," EA spokesman David Baxter said.
"It provides a valuable guide to the techniques that are available and it will therefore be of great interest to those involved in coastal defence works including our own staff, local authority planners, marine regulators, contractors, environmental consultants and landowners."
Prof Richard Thompson, from Plymouth University, said the guidance would not only help the environment but could also have an economic benefit.
"This research not only establishes the viability of using engineered structures to enhance the field habitat for marine life, but it demonstrates the potential to boost stocks of commercially important shellfish using this approach."
A glimpse of Bukom after the fire
from wild shores of singapore
Evening at Semakau
from wild shores of singapore
Shore birds: Sand plovers
from Life's Indulgences
A walk to the beach
from The annotated budak
Fieldwork at Bishan Park
from G33k5p34k's Blog
Silver Moonies at Singapore’s Pulau Hantu
from Pulau Hantu
A Checklist of the Algae of Singapore, 2nd Edition
from Raffles Museum News
Dylan Loh Channel NewsAsia 30 September 2011 2059 hrs
SINGAPORE: Industry sources have said Shell's fire-hit Pulau Bukom oil refinery may remain shut for at least a month.
This comes as efforts are now in place to further secure the incident site for investigation to safely commence.
Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean visited the area on Thursday night and on Friday morning to assess the situation.
In a media statement, Mr Teo said there has been good cooperation between Shell and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
He noted the good mutual assistance in the industry.
Mr Teo said the key thing now is to make sure the fire does not re-ignite and that residual hydrocarbons from the flames are properly dealt with.
He added that going forward, Singapore should learn from this incident and prevent such fires in future.
Shell is tight-lipped about how much money is going up in smoke due to the incident at its biggest refinery.
But some analysts said disrupted production would affect regional supplies of Shell's products in the short term.
To prevent further disruptions, firefighters are standing by at Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal just in case.
SCDF said water jets were being used to disperse traces of fuel vapour.
In addition, it is conducting foaming operations at certain parts of the incident site.
-CNA/wk
Govt to probe Bukom refinery blaze
MOM deploys officers to investigate, will examine Shell's safety framework
Jennani Durai & Jermyn Chow Straits Times 1 Oct 11;
THE Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has stepped in to investigate the cause of the fire at Shell's Pulau Bukom refinery.
It said yesterday that two investigators from its occupational safety and health division have been deployed to the island, and are working with Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers.
A ministry spokesman said MOM will also work with Shell to examine its safety framework so that safety standards can be tightened to prevent another such fire.
The move comes hours after more than 100 firefighters struggled to extinguish the on-off flames.
SCDF said yesterday that the fire was finally put out at 9.18pm on Thursday, ending a 32-hour battle. It added that it will keep 100 firefighters and 34 vehicles on the island as a precaution.
Mr Ho Siong Hin, MOM's Workplace Safety and Health Commissioner, said his officers will focus on looking for what might have sparked off the fire, which was described by Shell and SCDF as 'erratic' and 'complex'.
Incidentally, Mr Lee Tzu Yang, the chairman of Shell Singapore, also chairs the Workplace Safety and Health Council.
The cause of the fire has yet to be established.
It began at 1.15pm on Wednesday in the pump house, an area of interconnecting pipes containing fuel compounds.
SCDF said yesterday it was using water jets to disperse traces of fuel vapour. It was also using foam at certain sites.
Yesterday morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean visited the island for about an hour to assess the situation.
Speaking to The Straits Times at the Pasir Panjang ferry terminal, he said there had been good cooperation between Shell and SCDF, and there was also 'good mutual assistance in the industry'.
'The fire has been extinguished. The key thing now is to make sure that it does not reignite, and the residual hydrocarbons from the fire are properly dealt with,' said Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security.
'We also want to make sure that the risks are properly handled and reduced. Going forward, we should learn from the lessons and prevent the occurrence of such fires.' He was also at the operations centre at the ferry terminal on Wednesday night.
A contractor who left Bukom at around 5pm yesterday said: 'There is a cordon around the pump house that we can't go near, but other than that, everything is normal and we can all go to work.'
Even as the worst appears to be over, Shell sources confirmed that the progressive shutdown of the Bukom facility was continuing.
Although some wire reports said the shutdown could last a month, a Shell spokesman said that no timeline has been given for how long it will continue or for when the investigations will be complete.
'Our first priority is to tackle the incident safely. We do not expect any of the units to be restarted until a thorough investigation has been done and we are confident that it is safe to do so,' she said.
The oil giant also released a statement expressing 'heartfelt appreciation to the SCDF for their tireless efforts in working closely with Shell in containing the fire'.
Pulau Bukom is Shell's largest refinery in the world, processing 500,000 barrels a day. Ninety per cent of the products are exported to the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
CIMB economist Song Seng Wun said that depending on how long the refinery remains in downtime, 'Singapore's chemical output and exports will be affected'.
'There was fire everywhere. It was just boom, boom, boom!'
Jalelah Abu Baker Straits Times 1 Oct 11;
A SHELL employee who saw much of the action in the refinery fire this week told The Straits Times that he knew something was amiss when the fire alarm went off at 1.15pm on Wednesday.
The Shell Eastern Petroleum Complex has a weekly fire drill at 1.30pm on Wednesdays, like clockwork, but this week, the bells rang 15 minutes earlier than usual.
The employee said that before he fully grasped what was happening, the in-house emergency team had been mobilised, and the first fire engine was on site.
He told The Straits Times in an interview at the Pasir Panjang Ferry Terminal yesterday that this week's mishap was the worst he has seen in his decades of working on the island.
This newspaper is not naming him to protect him, as Shell has barred its employees from talking to reporters.
It was chaos, he said, as fire engines rolled into the facility one after another.
He heard 15 explosions over Wednesday and Thursday, and was no more than 20m away when one of them went off.
'My man told me to run, but I just walked very quickly. After 15 to 20 steps, I heard a blast, and the heat was very strong,' he said.
The first of Thursday's explosions came at 11.45am, just when firefighters were winding down their work. A blast rang out, and he saw flames shoot out horizontally, he said.
Shaking his head several times during the interview, he said: 'That was one of the worst. After that, there was fire everywhere. It was just boom, boom, boom!'
The employee said he had a look at the pump house and was dismayed at the extent of the damage. 'It is bad. More than 100 lines are ruptured,' he said, referring to the pipes used to transfer oil to ships.
The metal platform normally used by technicians is warped from the extreme heat, he added.
Metal discs called spades in the industry had been placed in the pipes to stop the oil from moving, but the pipes caught fire from the heat and burst, he said.
A fire engine which was discharging foam had trouble with one of its mechanical arms, he said, and would not direct foam at the right spot. The foam hit a man in the area instead, causing him to lose his footing.
The Shell employee said firefighters were still spraying foam and water as he left the island at about 4pm yesterday.
He said that although the refinery's operations would be affected because the crippled pump house performs an important function, it is possible to divert the pipes.
He added that when the fire started in the pump house, there appeared to be only two people there. He did not know how it started, but maintenance work was going on there, so it was likely for sparks to have arisen - even from equipment falling down or from some knocking.
The cause of the fire is being investigated as several employees returned to work yesterday, but many parts of the plant are expected to be shut down in phases over the next few days.
Shell refinery fire in Singapore to affect Asian supply
Channel NewsAsia 30 September 2011 1332 hrs
SINGAPORE - A fire that disrupted production in Shell's largest refinery will affect regional supplies of gasoline and other products in the short term, analysts said on Friday.
Industry sources said the refinery may remain shut for at least a month.
This comes as efforts are now in place to further secure the site for investigations to safely commence.
The Anglo-Dutch oil giant said the fire broke out Wednesday at its refinery in Pulau Bukom, an islet five kilometres (three miles) off Singapore, prompting the evacuation of non-essential staff.
The fire was extinguished before midnight Thursday, 34 hours after it began, with the help of the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
No fire or smoke was visible at Pulau Bukom from the Singapore mainland on Friday, an AFP photographer said.
Shell spokesmen could not be reached for comment on the refinery's current status but the company said on Thursday that it had started a progressive shutdown of the whole refinery before the fire was put out.
Six people suffered superficial wounds and three fire engines were damaged from the fire.
In a statement issued overnight, Shell said it was "prepared to shut down all refinery units if this is considered necessary from a safety perspective."
Analysts said the fire at the refinery - which has a crude refining capacity of 500,000 barrels per day and produces fuels, lubricants and specialty chemicals - will affect regional supply of gasoline and petrochemical products in the short term.
"It is the biggest (Shell) refinery, it supplies and exports a whole lot of products. Ninety percent of their exports go to the Asia-Pacific region," said Shailaja Nair, Asian managing editor of market information provider Platts.
"It has a whole slate of products, not just oil but also the petrochemicals because it's an integrated complex. So when you're shutting something down there is bound to be some effect on the market," she told AFP.
Nair added that gasoline supply could be hit particularly hard.
The refinery fire also occurred at a bad time for Shell, said Tony Nunan, risk manager at Mitsubishi Corp in Tokyo, as Asia heads towards winter and its peak demand period for distillate oil, used in heating.
"We're going into the high distillate demand season... and I think there was pull for distillates in Asia region from various areas of the world," he told AFP.
The disruption "will have a significant impact" on regional supply of petroleum products, Nunan added.
However, analysts stressed that they could only gauge the fire's short-term impact on supply, as longer-term effects would depend on how quickly Shell can get the refinery running normally.
"At the end of the day, the shutdown of barrels might provide a bit of a squeeze but it won't really affect the overall market," said Jonathan Barratt, managing director at Commodity Broking Services in Sydney.
- AFP/CNA/al
Shell turns buyer in swaps market
Traders see prices of middle distillates such as kerosene and diesel staying firm
Ronnie Lim Business Times 1 Oct 11;
SHELL, usually a big seller of products such as diesel in Singapore's swaps market, has turned buyer to help meet its customer commitments, traders told BT yesterday, adding that prices of middle distillates such as kerosene and diesel are likely to stay firm.
This follows the oil group's earlier shutdown of its Bukom hydrocracker which produces mainly diesel, for safety reasons, followed by that of three crude distillation units which are the backbone of its 500,000 barrel per day refinery. Bukom, Shell's largest manufacturing site worldwide, accounts for 36 per cent of Singapore's total refining capacity.
A Reuters report cited industry sources speculating that Bukom could remain shut for even as long as a month. Reuters also quoted traders as saying that they had been told by Shell that it was declaring force majeure on deals with them.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Shell Singapore chairman Lee Tzu Yang had not ruled this out. He had said: 'We are currently in discussions with our customers to meet their needs.'
A London spokesman, however, denied that force majeure had been declared.
Shell said that it had extinguished the blaze on Thursday night. In an update yesterday afternoon, it said that it was continuing to monitor the situation.
'Fire-fighting personnel from the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Shell remain on standby on Bukom. Efforts are now in place to further secure the site of the fire to allow investigations to commence safely.'
Martjin van Koten, Shell vice-president for manufacturing operations east, told the media on Thursday that the company had started a two-day sequence to shut down the CDUs - so as to help it focus on fire-fighting and not be distracted by having to operate 'live' plants safely at the same time.
While he declined to say if the shutdown sequence could be interrupted if needed, another refinery source told BT that 'it depends on what stage(of shutdown) you are at'.
'The start-up process usually takes as long as the shut-down sequence, although there is also a knock-on effect as some plants depend on other plants, so there's a first-in-last-out sequence to follow. It also depends on further action needed, like clean-up procedures etc.'
Apart from the three CDUs, Shell had earlier also shut down two other plants which were sited closer to the fire - a hydrocracker, which upgrades feedstock from the CDUs into higher-value kerosene (jet fuel) and diesel, as well as a thermal gas unit. And these also have to be re-started.
But as Shell has still not established the source of the blaze - which it believes was accidentally set off by a maintenance job - it will need to carry out thorough investigations first and carry out remedial action, before it wants to resume operations.
'Those guys are really keeping it close to their chest,' one oil trader told BT, when asked if he had heard from Shell counterparts when they expect Bukom to resume operations. 'We don't know what kind of delays there will be for cargo loading for instance, especially with the Bukom berths closed.'
In the meantime, 'the impact of the Shell fire and shutdown is having an impact on the prompt, or immediate market for October swaps, especially for middle distillates like kerosene and diesel,' the trader said, adding that prices were up about 15 per cent.
This is despite Shell earlier saying that it could continue to supply the market from storage and the group's network of other regional refineries including in Malaysia and the Philippines.
'We expect product prices to stay firm, as Sietco (Shell International Eastern Trading Company) which is a very active player in the Platts trading window here and usually a big seller of diesel, completely disappeared from the selling end, and was buying instead,' a local trader told BT.
Singapore Shell refinery will take at least a month to restart-sources
Reuters 30 Sep 11;
SINGAPORE, (Reuters) - Oil major Shell's fire-stricken Singapore refinery, its largest in the world with a 500,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) capacity, is expected to remain shut for at least a month, as efforts now turn to investigating the cause of the 36-hour blaze, industry sources said on Friday.
The impact of the shutdown is expected to be most keenly felt in the Asian gasoline and distillates market, where Shell is a major supplier as well as a trader, although the severity of the impact depends on the eventual duration of the shutdown.
Shell's spokesman did not immediately comment about the source-based information.
(Reporting by Yaw Yan Chong; Editing by Miral Fahmy)
UPDATE 2-Shell Singapore plant may shut for a month; distillates force majeure
* Shell's Singapore refinery may be shut for at least a month
* Declares force majeure on distillate sales from plant
* Impact may be mostly felt in gasoline, distillates markets (Adds details on declaration of force majeure)
Francis Kan and Yaw Yan Chong Reuters 30 Sep 11;
SINGAPORE, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell's (RDSa.L) Singapore refinery may remain shut for at least a month, industry sources said, and the company declared it would not meet supply commitments after a blaze at the major 500,000 barrels-per-day plant.
Singapore is Asia's hub for crude and oil products trading.
Shell exports about 90 percent of the output from the refinery, the company's biggest, which accounts for a quarter of the island nation's capacity.
So the impact on regional prices may be exaggerated by comparison with the capacity taken offline, traders said.
Shell declared a force majeure on sales of distillates, using a clause in contracts that exempts buyers or sellers from commitments due to events that are beyond control, counterparties said.
Shell's Singapore spokesman said the company would not comment on operational matters.
A refining source said: "By all accounts, the fire is a massive disaster. And it would take some time to investigate the cause, isolate it and also repair the damage. And then restart the parts that are unaffected."
"One month would be a very conservative estimate in terms of the duration it would take for the plant to return to normal operating levels. It could be longer depending on where the problem is," the source added.
Another industry source also estimated the outage could last at least a month.
The refinery produces 6.5-7.0 million barrels of distillates per month, of which gas oil is about 4.5 million barrels. It also produces another 4.0-4.5 million barrels of gasoline, based on estimates culled from its capacity.
At least two buyers said they had received notice from the oil major that it was declaring force majeure on all its nominated sales for cargoes to be lifted from the Singapore Bukom refinery.
The note, titled 'Notice Of Force Majeure' said: "In the circumstances, we have no alternative but to formally declare that our ability to supply the product under the contract has been adversely affected by an event beyond our control."
MARKET REACTION
Oil product markets, which had rallied strongly a day earlier, fell as concerns oversupply disruptions eased. The prompt October/November timespreads for gas oil, naphtha and fuel oil swaps fell by midday from Thursday's milestone-highs.
Short-term supplies remain disrupted as berthing operations were still down. At least five medium-ranged tankers, of 30,000 tonnes each, were waiting to load distillates, while another two were waiting to discharge fuel oil.
As a result, cash differentials for gas oil were bid at higher levels at premiums of 50-70 cents to Singapore spot quotes, versus 25-cent value a day ago.
Gasoline's physical crack to Brent crude held firm at month-high levels of around $13.00 a barrel for a second session.
Martjin van Koten, Shell's vice-president for manufacturing operations, said on Thursday that the fire occurred white maintenance work was being carried out at a Pump House near a 35,000 bpd distillate-making unit. (Additional reporting by Seng Li Peng, Alejandro Barbajosa, Francis Kan and Luke Pachymuthu; Editing by Manash Goswami and Anthony Barker)
Shell refinery fire in Singapore to affect Asian supply
Philip Lim (AFP) Google News 30 Sep 11;
SINGAPORE — A fire that disrupted production in Shell's largest refinery will affect regional supplies of gasoline and other products in the short term, according to analysts.
The Anglo-Dutch oil giant said the fire broke out Wednesday at its refinery in Pulau Bukom, an islet five kilometers (three miles) off Singapore, prompting the evacuation of non-essential staff.
The fire was extinguished before midnight Thursday, 34 hours after it began, with the help of Singapore civil defence units.
No fire or smoke was visible at Pulau Bukom from the Singapore mainland on Friday, an AFP photographer said.
Shell spokesmen could not be reached for comment on the refinery's current status but the company said Thursday that it had started a progressive shutdown of the whole refinery before the fire was put out.
Six people suffered superficial wounds and three fire engines were damaged from the fire.
In a statement issued overnight, Shell said it was "prepared to shut down all refinery units if this is considered necessary from a safety perspective."
Analysts said the fire at the refinery -- which has a crude refining capacity of 500,000 barrels per day and produces fuels, lubricants and specialty chemicals -- will affect regional supply of gasoline and petrochemical products in the short term.
"It is the biggest (Shell) refinery, it supplies and exports a whole lot of products. Ninety percent of their exports go to the Asia-Pacific region," said Shailaja Nair, Asian managing editor of market information provider Platts.
"It has a whole slate of products, not just oil but also the petrochemicals because its an integrated complex. So when you're shutting something down there is bound to be some effect on the market," she told AFP.
Nair added that gasoline supply could be hit particularly hard.
The refinery fire also occurred at an bad time for Shell, said Tony Nunan, risk manager at Mitsubishi Corp in Tokyo, as Asia heads towards winter and its peak demand period for distillate oil, used in heating.
"We're going into the high distillate demand season... and I think there was pull for distillates in Asia region from various areas of the world," he told AFP.
The disruption "will have a significant impact" on regional supply of petroleum products, Nunan added.
However, analysts stressed that they could only gauge the fire's short-term impact on supply, as longer-term effects would depend on how quickly Shell can get the refinery running normally.
"At the end of the day the shutdown of barrels might provide a bit of a squeeze but it won't really affect the overall market," said Jonathan Barratt, managing director at Commodity Broking Services in Sydney.
Straits Times 1 Oct 11;
THE police are looking for a man who allegedly injured a bird by throwing objects at it.
The incident happened on May 15 at about 7.55am.
The man with long, curly hair was seen throwing objects at some birds perched on a tree at Changi Beach Park.
One of the birds was hurt, and fell off the tree. He then picked up the injured creature and placed it somewhere else.
The police are now looking for the man, believed to be in his 30s or 40s, to assist in investigations. He was wearing a light-blue long-sleeved shirt and beige pants.
Those found guilty of animal cruelty can be fined up to $10,000 or jailed up to 12 months, or both.
The police have requested anyone with information on the man to call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000.
For future cases of animal cruelty, members of the public can contact the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore at ava_cawc@ava.gov.sg
All information sources will be kept strictly confidential
Today Online 1 Oct 11;
SINGAPORE - Singapore-based supermarket chain Cold Storage will stop selling all sharks fin and shark products in its 42 outlets across the country - the first supermarket in Singapore to implement a "no shark fins policy".
It has joined the WWF Singapore Sustainable Seafood Group, which was launched in April this year and guides businesses on sourcing and promoting sustainable seafood while also playing a role in protecting the marine environment.
"We want to play our part towards caring for the environment. Our team is committed to sourcing for quality, sustainable seafood and other products in our efforts to achieve long-term sustainability and marine conservation," said Mr Victor Chia, CEO of Cold Storage Supermarket, in a statement.
The supermarket chain will also source and offer a wide range of sustainable seafood recommended by WWF, and offer Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified seafood such as the hake fillet from South Africa.
Singapore is one of the biggest seafood consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, consuming an average of 100,000 tonnes of seafood each year. Most of this is imported from the Coral Triangle, the world's most diverse marine environment.
Ms Amy Ho, managing director of WWF Singapore, said: "For a nation where seafood is a popular meal choice, Cold Storage's commitment offers consumers an opportunity to make choices that will protect fish stocks and endangered marine species over the long term," she added.
Other members of the WWF Singapore Sustainable Seafood Group are SODEXO Singapore and Fairmont Singapore.
Leading Singaporean supermarket chain says “no” to shark fin
WWF 30 Sep 11;
Singapore – Prominent Singapore-based supermarket chain Cold Storage has joined the WWF Singapore Sustainable Seafood Group and marked its commitment with an announcement that it will stop selling all shark fin and shark products in its 42 outlets across the country.
WWF Singapore Sustainable Seafood Group was launched in April this year and provides businesses with the guidance they need to source and promote sustainable seafood while also playing a role in protecting the marine environment.
“We want to play our part towards caring for the environment. Our team is committed to sourcing for quality, sustainable seafood and other products in our efforts to achieve long-term sustainability and marine conservation,” explained Mr Victor Chia, CEO, Cold Storage Supermarket.
Cold Storage is the first supermarket in Singapore to implement a “no shark fins policy”. It is also the nation’s first retail food chain to source and offer a wide range of sustainable seafood recommended by WWF and offer Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified seafood such as the hake fillet from South Africa.
The supermarket is a subsidiary of Dairy Farm, a leading pan-Asian food retailer that operates more than 5,300 outlets and employs some 80,000 people in the Asia-Pacific region.
“WWF is happy to support Cold Storage in its efforts to make its retail operations more sustainable and promote responsible consumption in Singapore,” said Ms Amy Ho, Managing Director, WWF Singapore. “For a nation where seafood is a popular meal choice, Cold Storage’s commitment offers consumers an opportunity to make choices that will protect fish stocks and endangered marine species over the long term,” she added.
Mr Patrick Caleo, Country Manager Australia and New Zealand, Marine Stewardship Council says: “The Marine Stewardship Council applauds Cold Storage’s efforts to provide customers with the choice of purchasing seafood sourced from sustainable fisheries, and we look forward to working with them in their efforts to offer MSC certified wild-caught seafood products across their stores in the future. As a result of Cold Storage’s efforts thousands of Singaporeans will have access to sustainable seafood which is a great development, and the company should be commended for playing its part in safeguarding seafood stocks for future generations.”
Presently, SODEXO Singapore and Fairmont Singapore are members of the WWF Singapore Sustainable Seafood Group.
An average of 100,000 tons of seafood is consumed each year in Singapore, making it one of the biggest seafood consumers in the Asia-Pacific region. Most of this is imported from the Coral Triangle, the world’s most diverse marine environment.
Only 3 shark species protected
Letter from Jennifer Lee Today Online 5 Oct 11;
I REFER to the report "Cold Storage says 'no' to shark's fin" (Oct 2), which announced Cold Storage's commendable decision to join the World Wildlife Fund's Sustainable Seafood Group.
At present, more than 70 per cent of the world's commercial marine fish stocks are either fully exploited or over-fished. Scientists have warned of the potential global collapse of all marine fish stocks by 2048.
Yet, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) fails to provide sufficient trade protection to many marine species.
For example, the blue-fin tuna is listed as critically endangered but is legally and readily available at many Japanese restaurants. One-third of all shark species are threatened by extinction, but only three species are protected under CITES.
As fishing efficiencies improve with technology, our oceans are being emptied faster than fishes are able to reproduce. If we do not want to be the generation responsible for depriving our children of the beautiful, bio-diversified oceans we now enjoy, there must be unified efforts to prioritise sustainability.
Consumers can play a part by ensuring that their choice of seafood is sustainable as well as by cutting down on consumption and moving towards a more plant-based diet.
I hope that the "no shark-fin policy" will also be implemented in the near future at other supermarkets here.
Straits Times Editorial 1 Oct 11;
IT IS well and good that the newly set-up Public Hygiene Council has effectively declared war on growing slovenliness among Singaporeans. That the 21-strong council is made up of a cross section of society, with representatives from entities such as schools, hotels and government departments, indicates that the Government is serious about upping the stakes in the war on trash. It is hoped that the pooling together of expertise from the various entities, coupled to a more ground-up approach, will bring about lasting change in the public's behaviour with regard to cleanliness.
Only the blind or blissfully ignorant will not notice that Singapore, which has made its clean and green garden city one of the hallmarks of its economic miracle, is getting dirtier. Generally, most Singaporeans are a law-abiding lot who care for their living environment. But a not insignificant number, however, have this antisocial mentality: my trash, your problem. In a recent survey, for example, 40 per cent of 4,400 respondents polled said they would litter if they believed they would not be caught. This has resulted in a trash race of sorts - these litterbugs spew their rubbish, only to have an army of cleaners tidy up after them; so perversely encouraging even more littering acts to follow. More worryingly, studies show that a growing number of offenders caught are young people under the age of 21.
The council and the National Environment Agency have their work cut out for them. In the long term, education is the only lasting solution - on the ills of littering, and its incongruence with a civilised and advanced society. Singaporeans - individuals and the community at large - need to take ownership of the problem. It starts with having pride in their homes, the surrounding neighbourhood, and finally the country. Without this sense of community and duty to maintain the public space and keep it clean, there can be no progress. The Japanese practise this to a fault. In Japan, not many trash cans can be found in public places. Rubbish is also sorted into different categories for recycling.
If all this fails, a modicum of shock therapy might be useful. Say, suspend the services of hard-working cleaners in the country's filthiest estates, and let the residents sink in their own mire. Or raise the shame factor for littering offenders by getting them to carry out cleaning duties in their own neighbourhoods. Education is necessary but punishment, effectively applied, can be a good teacher too.
The National Parks Board is stepping up efforts to turn Singapore into a green home for all
natasha ann zachariah Straits Times 1 Oct 11;
Anew push to tag Singapore a City In A Garden instead of the familiar Garden City, to better link greenery with people's living and working needs, is giving Singaporeans a chance for a new kind of 'grassroots' input.
The green scene is sprouting in a new, more inclusive direction than in the past, with the National Parks Board (NParks) last month asking Singaporeans to give their responses to its website and Facebook page in six areas. These included how to improve parks and greenery and how to encourage biodiversity in the city.
The move is one of several recent government announcements to nurture Singapore's green spaces, including a $12-million fund to boost the landscape industry and help workers gain better skills.
The evolving green scene is a far cry from when Singapore's greening efforts were helmed by the Parks and Recreation Department in the 1970s and 1980s. NParks was formed in 1990 and later merged with the department in 1996.
Back then, during Singapore's first stages of greening, parks consisted of 'instant trees' - those that were already matured, uprooted and replanted here.
Newly planted roadside trees, many of which were not even native to Asia, were planted in rigid lines, with nothing allowed to be planted in between.
Mr Kong Yit San, 55, assistant chief executive officer of NParks' park management and lifestyle cluster, says: 'It was a good way to show off our public spaces but we took it a little extreme. There was a joke that even our trees had to behave and get in line. But the truth was that people were not using our parks then.'
The prime minister at that time, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, believed it important that Singapore distinguish itself from Third World countries, and spearheaded efforts for a clean and greener Singapore.
Building parks and gardens started with the Tree Planting campaign in 1963, while the Garden City programme was launched four years later.
What resulted were thousands of plants of a few species brought here to create instant greenery along the roads and in parks. They were chosen because they were cheap, and grew well in the hot, humid climate here.
Mr Mason Tan, landscape architect and owner of Mace Studio, calls this period 'survival landscaping'.
The 48-year-old, whose company has worked on the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden at the Botanic Gardens and one-north Streetscapes at Vista Xchange, says: 'There was a lot of foresight in setting aside sufficient green spaces. But there was no local ecology. They were super sterile green spaces. They were good to look at but people didn't really interact with them.'
Mr Kong agrees, adding that much of the design for parks then was created to keep people out and was mainly for show.
He cites the example of park connectors, which were initially built for people to walk through. They were bare, with a few benches and street lights. He adds: 'Over the years, we've realised that people use these to do taiji or brisk walk. Now, we've tried to accommodate scenic views on newer connectors and nurture different habitats there.'
The approach to creating green spaces has changed - more noticeably by getting the people who use them to tell NParks what they want.
Mr Kong says: 'Now, we consult people about what they want in a park when we build new ones. This is different from the past when we just built without asking them. Today, with our parks, we want people to own them.'
Currently, NParks manages about 300 parks, with about 220 being community spaces or playgrounds, measuring an average 1,500 sq m.
Park managers such as Ms Nurhaslinda Ramli, section head of parks, talks to regular park users to get feedback on how the areas can be better managed or what can be built.
Says the 35-year-old: 'Singaporeans are well-travelled. When they see an idea which they think might work here, they will e-mail or stop us in the parks to tell us. From there, we'll work with the landscape architects to see if it's feasible.'
And it seems that the public likes being consulted. A month into NParks' online campaign as well as exhibitions and talks, and the team has received more than 1,000 ideas on how to green up the living environment.
The Gardens by the Bay at Marina Bay, which opens next year, is one concrete example of NParks asking the public what it wanted in a public garden.
The findings showed that visitors want greenery and ample shade but, at the same time, plenty of colour from flowers.
The melding of ideas has taken off well, with the gardens getting, among other things, recognition - this year and in 2009 - at the prestigious MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Awards, organised by the international publication, Architectural Review.
Now, the biggest challenge is to find more green spaces in Singapore's increasing concrete jungle. But the team is planning to get creative, even if it means looking at unusual spots to make a garden.
Mr Kong says: 'There will always be a space crunch. So we'll look at optimising unused spaces such as under viaducts. You'll never think to put greenery there but it's a matter of design and putting them in the right place.'
Favourite spots
Straits Times 1 Oct 11;
They work with green spaces every day but what are the personal favourites of Singapore's landscape industry professionals? Life! asks five for their green picks.
Who: Mr Kong Yit San, 55, assistant chief executive officer of park management and lifestyle cluster at the National Parks Board
Where: Fort Canning
Why: 'Aside from the memories of growing up here when my father was stationed in Singapore as military personnel for the Malaysian army, I enjoy the green, open spaces.
Fort Canning has more mature trees and a lush landscape, with something for everyone. There are intimate corners where you can sit on a bench and read a book, and wide spaces where you can kick a ball. Also, it's a park on a hill, so it gives a sense of being somewhere else, unlike most parks here, which are on flat land.'
Who: Mr Damian Tang, 37, president of the Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects and assistant director of design with NParks
Where: Tampines Eco-Green Park
Why: 'This is the park for nature lovers. It's really different because when you're here, it's like you're engulfing yourself in nature. It's also one of the more scenic parks here. Often, you will find people who don't live nearby, like myself, who will travel here for the tranquillity and quietness. You can really enjoy the natural surroundings and the wildlife that?s not seen elsewhere.'
Who: Dr Shawn Lum, 48, president of the Nature Society (Singapore)
Where: Upper Seletar Reservoir Park
Why: 'From a nature perspective, there are so many things to appreciate. There are several distinct types of forests growing here, from the primary ones to towering canopies. The animal diversity is great, too, being at the fringes of a freshwater swamp forest. You get unique, rare sights of wildlife such as the hornbills, which are returning to Singapore on their own after they disappeared in the mid-1990s, and also the Banded Leaf Monkey, which is possibly the rarest and one of the most threatened species of larger animals here.'
Who: Ms Emily Lim, 36, landscape architect lecturer at the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at Singapore Polytechnic
Where: Upper Pierce Reservoir Park
Why: 'I discovered it only this year, after passing by once. I like that it has old-fashioned elements that are a throwback to the 1970s, such as the benches and pavilions. These are things you won't see in newer parks. Coming here feels like time has stood still - it's very serene and quiet. There's a beautiful short tree that has grown into one with a gorgeous, low-branching canopy. It's heartening to see families walking around and talking to one another as they explore the area.'
Who: Mr Mason Tan, 48, owner of Mace Studio, a private landscape architect firm
Where: Central Catchment Area, which includes MacRitchie Reservoir Park
Why: 'It's the last remnant of a surviving rainforest that is still relatively intact. It's one of those places that doesn't need to be maintained - the less human intervention, the better. It's away from an urban environment where you don't see or hear the traffic until you leave the park. It's also pristine enough and very refreshing to take a nice stroll through.'
Eight green facts
Straits Times 1 Oct 11;
1 Who says Singapore is a concrete jungle? About half of the island is covered in greenery.
2 It is not as high as conventional mountains but Singapore's highest peak, the 164m-tall Bukit Timah Hill, and its reserve have more tree species than the entire North American continent.
3 Bukit Timah Hill is also a wildlife paradise, with about 160 species of animals including snakes, such as reticulated pythons, and birds such as the striped tit-babbler. Insect life is also plentiful, with about 73,000 species.
4 Parks' carparks are vehicles for greenery. Take HortPark's, for example: Its variety of plants includes 220 trees and more than 8,000 shrubs.
5 Unravel the park connectors and the length would span more than Singapore itself. To date, the Park Connector Network spans 180km, linking major parks, nature sites and housing estates.
6 Pulau Ubin's 45ha Ketam Mountain Bike Park is the first in Singapore to meet international standards for mountain-biking competitions. It has 10km of trails of various difficulty levels.
7 Many trees such as the frangipani, lantana and bougainvillea were actually imported. Others include angsana (pterocarpus indicus) and the yellow flame (peltophorum pterocarpum).
8 The natural swamp habitat at Pasir Ris Park had to go when the area was reclaimed 20 years ago. To restore the original mangrove habitat, NParks spread 2km of organic matter and planted 10,000 saplings of the avicennia mangrove tree.
Source: NParks and www.asianinfo.org
Give suggestions on creating a Garden In A City at NParks' website, www.nparks.gov.sg/ciag, between now and next June or leave comments on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nparksbuzz.
Letter from Fun Siew Leng Group Director (Urban Planning & Design), Urban Redevelopment Authority
Today Online 30 Sep 11;
WE THANK Mr Richard Hartung for sharing his thoughts in his commentary "Our CBD is losing its green edge" (Sept 23).
We fully agree that Singapore should continue to build upon its strong reputation as a City in a Garden by providing more lush greenery, parks, open spaces and park connectors within the urban environment.
The 100-hectare Gardens by the Bay and The Lawn @ Marina Bay located between The Sail and Marina Bay Financial Centre are examples of our commitment to plan and provide more greenery and recreational spaces within the city.
There are other parks such as Pearl's Hill City Park, Ann Siang Hill Park and Hong Lim Park that will continue to serve as green lungs in the city.
Even as the city grows, we want to preserve the sense of greenery. Land that is sold for new developments will have to retain or set aside space for greenery/open areas.
For the upcoming Peck Seah Street/Choon Guan Street development, the developer is required to upgrade Tanjong Pagar Park and build a public space of at least 1,000 sq m on the ground floor of the new development.
Under the Landscape Replacement Policy, all new developments within the Downtown Core (including the Central Business District and Marina Bay), Jurong Gateway and Kallang Riverside will have green landscape areas equivalent to the development site area.
These could be roof gardens, sky terraces, first-storey communal landscape areas and communal planters.
The land parcel at Robinson Road/Cecil Street was zoned for commercial use since Master Plan 1998 but has been used as a green space in the interim.
With the Landscape Replacement Policy, we are able to cater to demand for office space while ensuring that affected green spaces are replaced.
Over the next 10 to 15 years, we can expect to see more greenery in Singapore, as we plan to increase the amount of green space from the current 3,600 hectares to 4,200 hectares, as set out in Master Plan 2008.
We assure Mr Hartung and all residents that we will continue to set aside land for quality recreational and green open spaces.
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