The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and other local partners have deployed assets in response to an oil spill at the Port of Singapore's Pasir Panjang Terminal on Friday, June 14. The MPA said oil had spilled from one of the cargo tanks of the locally-registered bunkering vessel Marine Honour after it was struck while stationary by the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima at around 14:20 local time on Friday.
The MPA said the affected cargo tank on Marine Honour has been isolated and the spill has been contained. The MPA and the operator of the bunkering vessel have also despatched oil spill response craft to the location.
Patches of oil and light sheens have been observed off Pasir Panjang Terminal and along Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso Beach on Sentosa Island. Oil spill response craft have been deployed to continue spraying oil dispersants and to collect the oil slicks on the water surface.
The MPA assured that there is no impact on navigational traffic. Berthing operations at Pasir Panjang Terminal remain unaffected.
On Monday, June 17, the MPA said that the next phase of the cleanup operation has commenced with the additional deployment of various booms and oil recovery systems. Around 1,500 metres of booms have been deployed, and an additional 1,600 metres will be deployed over the next few days in designated sites to support the containment of accumulated oil to facilitate the cleanup operation off the beaches and shorelines.
Additional booms will also be deployed as a preventive measure off Changi East. Seven oil recovery assets have been deployed to skim and collect the remaining oil spillage off the water surface to minimise the further spread of the oil.
The MPA has also informed the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities. Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia are part of the Revolving Fund Committee, where the three member states can request and provide support for oil spills and cleanup operations.