Slick closes East Coast beaches

Clivebenss SG

By Grace Chua

IS A slick from Tuesday's oil spill hit the East Coast Park yesterday, beach-goers were told to stay out of the water and boats were stained or stranded on dry land.

By late afternoon, the oil from the collision between Malaysian-registered oil tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3 and St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier MV Waily had spread from the SAF Yacht Club next to the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal all the way to the chalets in East Coast Park.

The hulls of boats moored at the yacht club were smeared with the dark, viscous oil, some of which had become trapped within the walls of the square marina.

The club's marketing manager Terence Tan noted that no oil had been seen on Tuesday morning, when the spill occurred; at lunch time that day, some six hours after the spill, only a thin layer of oil was in the water at the club.

But yesterday, receptionists at the club took to wearing face masks to ward off fumes given off by the evaporating oil.

Workers from salvage company Singapore Salvage Engineers were spraying chemical de-greasers in the club's boat launch area to disperse the oil, but Mr Tan said of their efforts: 'It's like bringing a penknife to a gunfight. The big guns are all out at sea, working on the oil spill there.'

Clivebenss SG

By Liew Hanqing & Grace Chua

SHOWERS over the weekend could impede efforts to contain the oil spill from Tuesday morning's collision between two large vessels off the Changi coast.

Mr Foong Chee Leong, the National Environment Agency's (NEA) director-general of meteorological services, said weather conditions over the weekend could result in 'rough seas' carrying more oil patches towards the coastline.

The collision spilled 2,500 tonnes of crude oil which has been swept towards shore by winds and tides, coating beaches in a 7.2 km stretch from East Coast Park's Big Splash water park to Changi.

Short intervals of rain with thunder are expected this afternoon, with rain also expected in the late mornings and early afternoons tomorrow and Sunday, Mr Foong said.

At a joint press conference with national water agency PUB yesterday, Mr Foong said conditions over the last two days had not helped things. 'The wind has been blowing the oil slick towards land,' he said.

Mr Joseph Hui, NEA's director-general of environmental protection, said 'full resources' had been deployed in the clean-up effort.

Clivebenss SG

Oil spill spreads to Chek Jawa & Changi Beach
By Joanne Chan | Posted: 28 May 2010 1604 hrs

SINGAPORE : The oil spill caused by the collision of two vessels at sea on Tuesday has spread to Chek Jawa.

The area on Pulau Ubin, an island just off Changi Point, boasts of several different ecosystems, as well as plants and animals that are no longer common in Singapore.

Portions of the oil slick have also affected Changi Beach between car parks 6 and 7.

Some 700 metres are affected.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said it is looking out for new spots, although the situation at East Coast has stabilised. - CNA /ls

Clivebenss SG

Sad situation for Chek Jawa, will takes years for the ecology to recover if at all.

troublemaker2005 SG

that's why i say no one bothers. only wait until people report see oil at beaches then they activate. must see then convince smell cannot be convince. they know not that smelling shit means shit is coming already. report somemore that the sun will evaporate the oil. what if it rains? and i sleeping thru this morning rain in my bed like a log.

relly i see no hope in sg's disaster respond awareness. now neighbouring islands also kena see got people kaopehkaobu or not. must put the ships on trial, fine and jail the ships captain and companies.

Clivebenss SG

Singapore being such a busy port, the response was unbearably slow. The port authority is ill-prepared for immediate response for such contingency. Reflect poorly.

Clivebenss SG

The oil spill from Tuesday morning’s collision between two large vessels has been spotted along a 700-metre stretch of Changi Beach.

According to a Channel NewsAsia report, oil patches were also spotted along Chek Jawa’s 150-metre stretch of its coastal boardwalk, which is popular among nature lovers. Clean up operations are underway at these locations.

Environmental groups are closely monitoring the situation and have expressed concern that the oil slick will hurt Singapore’s precious coastal wildlife.

Louis Ng, executive director of activist group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, told AFP, “If it more or less hits the sands, it’s mainly the invertebrates like the crabs, the sea snails that will likely be affected.”

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), it will conduct a study on the environmental impact of the oil spill once the clean up is completed.

As for East Coast Parkway, the NEA said the situation has stablised as large patches of oil have been removed by dispersants.

Yahoo Singapore News

Clivebenss SG

Beach activities, businesses along East Coast hurt by oil spill
By Joanne Chan & Evelyn Choo | Posted: 28 May 2010 2220 hrs

SINGAPORE : The oil spill is hurting not just the environment - but businesses and activities that centre around the beach.

Sailors who want to train for upcoming races such as the Singapore Laser Trophy, Singapore National 420 Champs and Singapore National Byte Champs have been affected by the beach closures due to the oil spill.

Some of the foreign sailors arrived in Singapore early in the hopes of training in local conditions, but their boats have since been docked.

National sailors preparing for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) also had to move elsewhere.

"For them, we have shifted our training to the north. We are now at the Raffles Marina, the management there has been very kind to allow us to go over there for our training," said Edwin Low, executive director of Singapore Sailing Federation.

Low added that all physical training outdoors has been moved indoors, and gym work has shifted to the Singapore Sports Council.

Businesses are also reeling from the impact.

At the People's Association Water-Ventures Sea Sports Club, windsurfers have also been grounded.

A bicycle rental shop has lost 50 per cent of its customers.

"Of course, we've been affected. There's nobody even on a public holiday," said the bicycle rental shop operator.

He blames the fumes for his business blues.

But hawkers at the nearby food centres said the fumes were present only at the beginning and still enjoy a steady stream of customers.

It is also business as usual at Goldkist Beach Resort. The management said it has yet to receive a single cancellation of bookings since the spill. - CNA /ls

Clivebenss SG

Clean-up of oil spill at Changi and East Coast to end soon
By Evelyn Lam/Joanne Chan/Evelyn Choo | Posted: 29 May 2010 2015 hrs

SINGAPORE : The National Environment Agency (NEA) on Saturday said that clean-up efforts of the oil spill in East Coast Park and Changi Beach following a collision of two vessels on Tuesday should be complete by Sunday.

The situation in Chek Jawa at Pulau Ubin is also under control, but researchers said there could be long-term effects on the eco-system.

It was a quiet affair for volunteers and workers, all trying to nurse Chek Jawa back to health.

The oil spill had seeped into the island on Friday, and they have been working since then.

Dong Kum Sang, volunteer, National Parks Board, said: "This morning, we were here at 7am, right up to almost lunch time. We were at the mangrove site. It was not that bad, it seems to be improving."

Authorities said the eco-system was not severely damaged.

Andrew Tan, CEO, National Environment Agency, said: "As of today, most of it has been cleaned up.

"The National Parks Board, working together with groups such as the Tropical Marine Science Institute and the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, have been working hard to make sure that there is minimal environmental impact itself.

"So I think, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I would say that the situation in Chek Jawa is under control."

Researchers, on the other hand, warn of long-term effects.

Peter Ng, director, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, said: "We have not seen mass kills, but I am sure some are affected. (In the) longer term, the oil will affect the animals and plants in different ways.

"It may reduce the reproduction, it may reduce the growth rate, it might reduce their strength. And that has long-term implications."

The public can still visit Chek Jawa, but there will be no guided walks in the next two weeks, to allow the NEA to monitor the situation.

The slick has also spread to Malaysian waters, to the east of Pulau Tekong.

Malaysian authorities have been informed and Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority and NEA are offering assistance.

Back at Changi Beach, more areas have been hit by the spill. Car parks one to four were the latest zones affected.

But Mr Tan said that the clean-up operation is on track.

He said: "Barring any new oil patches that hit our coast, we should be cleaning up most of East Coast Park and Changi Beach by tomorrow."

Meanwhile, authorities said they will continue to monitor the situation closely. - CNA/ms

Clivebenss SG

East Coast Beach, Changi Beach clear of oil stains
By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid | Posted: 30 May 2010 1929 hrs

SINGAPORE: There's good news on efforts to contain and clean up an oil slick caused by the collision of two vessels in Singapore.

The spill came from the Malaysian-registered tanker MT Bunga Kelana 3, which was carrying nearly 62,000 tonnes of crude when it collided on Tuesday with the MV Waily, a bulk carrier registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines. About 2,500 tonnes of crude leaked from a gash in the double-hulled tanker.

Authorities said on Sunday that the slick, which closed public beaches on Singapore's eastern coastline, has been mostly contained. Waters off East Coast Beach and Changi Beach are now clear of oil stains.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said there are also no oil patches visible at sea. The agency said the petroleum-like smell at both beaches is now hardly detectable.

But work is still underway to clear the 60.4 tonnes of contaminated sand removed from the affected beaches. The contaminated sand will be disposed off at the Semakau Offshore Landfill.

Since Wednesday, nearly 500 workers have been mobilised to clean up the oil on the affected beaches.

Though the situation is improving, NEA said that the two beaches will still be closed pending ongoing checks on the water quality, which is expected to return to normal in a few days.

Till then, the public has been advised to refrain from swimming and engaging in water activities.

But some beach-goers were already having a go. One of them said: "We were looking at the beach and it seems that they have cleared up most of the oil stain, so we thought that it is ok to go back into the water."

"I don't think the water is that bad. The past two days, I have also been sailing. I came back with some oil slick on the board and on the sail....just do some cleaning. I think that will do," said another.

Beach-goers were also heading to unaffected areas like Pasir Ris. "We were supposed to go to East Coast Park to have a barbecue, but in the end we moved here because of the oil spill."

The NEA added that cleaning efforts at the vulnerable natural reserve at Chek Jawa were also almost complete. "At Chek Jawa, 98 percent of cleaning is complete. Only small patches of oil film are visible on the water surface," the agency said.

But oil absorbent booms are in place to minimise the impact on the eco-system.

Visitors can still go to Chek Jawa, but guided walks have been suspended for two weeks (from 29 May) to allow NParks to better monitor the situation.

The NEA said it will continue to carry out surveillance at East Coast Park, Changi Beach and Pulau Ubin.

Meanwhile, the damaged vessel has been moved to a Johor anchorage.

And the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore said containment and
clean-up efforts will continue.

The MPA said that further patches of oil slick were observed in Malaysian waters and in the Traffic Separation Scheme to the east of Singapore by passing ships and aircraft on Sunday.

Malaysian counterparts have been informed and MPA is offering assistance in line with the Standard Operating Procedure for Joint Oil Spill Combat in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

Separately, no oil slick was reported in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) off Changi East or within the anchorages of Singapore's port waters.

Isolated patches of oil with debris were sighted in the waters just outside SAF Yacht Club and Changi Naval Base but were promptly cleaned up.

The MPA said that the possibility of small isolated patches of oil with debris surfacing remains and that response craft remain in place ready to deal with any oil patches.

- CNA/ir

Clivebenss SG

MPA says efforts to clean up oil spill show "positive results"
By Claire Huang | Posted: 31 May 2010 1824 hrs

SINGAPORE : The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) has said efforts to contain and clean up the oil spill from a collision at sea last Tuesday have shown "positive results".

Waters from Changi Naval Base to East Coast Park are clear of any oil patches.

MPA said that as of Monday, there has not been any report of oil patches in the Singapore Strait south of Changi.

So far, traffic in the Singapore Strait has remained unaffected.

MPA, however, cautioned that there is a possibility of small isolated oil patches with debris surfacing.

It added that it will continue to monitor the waters closely and carry out clean-up work if necessary.

Currently, the various craft involved in the containment and clean-up efforts remain deployed at sea round-the-clock.

MPA said it will continue to work with the Indonesian and Malaysian authorities, in line with the Standard Operating Procedure for Joint Oil Spill Combat in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

It has also offered assistance to the Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts, should it be needed.

The public can contact MPA's 24-hour Marine Safety Control Centre at 6325-2489 to report any sighting of oil slick in Singapore's waters or coastlines.

- CNA/al

Clivebenss SG

Beaches affected by oil spill expected to open this weekend
By Lynda Hong | Posted: 02 June 2010 2150 hrs

SINGAPORE : Beaches affected by last week's oil spill is expected to open by this weekend, according to the Environment and Water Resources Minister.

But Dr Yaacob Ibrahim told reporters on the sidelines of a community event that officers will monitor the waters for any deterioration.

"We will continue to conduct tests and investigate if there are any forms of deterioration. But at the moment, based on what we have seen and what experts have said, there is no discernible indication that there have been deterioration," said Dr Yaacob. - CNA /ls

Clivebenss SG

By Amresh Gunasingham

BEACHES in the east were opened again yesterday, more than a week after they were closed following an oil spill off the Changi coast.

The reopening of the beaches in Changi, East Coast Park and Pasir Ris comes after days of testing the water in the affected areas, which have been given a clean bill of health, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said yesterday.

It added that all water activities could now be resumed.

The waters had been closed since May 25, when an oil slick caused by a collision of two large vessels off Changi had spread to a 10km stretch of the eastern shoreline.

When The Straits Times visited East Coast Park yesterday, there was a mix of revellers splashing about in the water on an overcast afternoon and other beachgoers who preferred to play it safe, opting to tread carefully on the sand instead of taking a dip.

Although the water appeared clear of oil, the beach was dotted with black tar balls and twigs - enough to put some off taking to the water.