Oil slicks spotted at East Coast Park, Keppel Bay, Lazarus; cleanup under way at Sentosa beaches
SINGAPORE - Oil slicks stained the coastline in East Coast Park, Keppel Bay, Lazarus Island and the beaches in Sentosa on June 15, a day after a damaged cargo tank leaked oil into the sea at Pasir Panjang Terminal.
Videos sent to The Straits Times on June 15 by readers showed thick, black oil in the waters of Tanjong Beach and East Coast Park, discolouring the sand at the shoreline.
An advisory on the Sentosa website said: “The waters of Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso Beach on Sentosa are currently closed for beach cleanup, due to instances of oil spillage observed in the sea waters.
“During this period, guests can still use our beaches, but swimming and sea activities in and along the waters will not be allowed.”
In a statement on June 15, the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) said it was first alerted to the presence of oil in the waters around Palawan Beach around 9pm on June 14.
“Upon detailed assessment this morning at around 7am, the spread has now been observed in waters throughout our beaches at Palawan, Siloso, Tanjong, as well as Sentosa Cove,” said the statement.
It added that all beach activities in and along the waters have been stopped, and the priority now is to minimise impact on the waters and surrounding wildlife.
“We will provide subsequent updates on the Sentosa website in due course.”
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Sentosa Cove resident Chris Wright told The Straits Times that he awoke to a “strong smell of oil” on June 15.
“We got up and looked over our balcony, and saw a long slick of oil visible from the coast of Sentosa, all the way to Lazarus and St John’s Island,” said the 52-year-old writer and consultant.
“There’s a lot of wildlife around here such as monitor lizards, and there were some photos circulating in resident WhatsApp groups of them covered in oil.”
WhatsApp groups are also being formed to round up volunteers to help with the cleanup, said Mr Wright.
A call-out message circulating in a Sentosa resident WhatsApp group seen by ST, said volunteers are being recruited to help fill bags with sand stained by oil, and that “any help is welcome”.
Mr Wright added: “The situation is not pleasant for residents, but it’s not the end of the world. I’m more worried about the wildlife, because they are getting doused in oil.”
Ms Sue Ye, founder of conservation group Marine Stewards, told ST that the oil slick had reached Keppel Bay and Lazarus Island as well. She said the group expects to see many dead fish surfacing in the water in the coming days.
A small dead fish is picked up by a worker cleaning up the oil slick at Tanjong Beach on June 15. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
“The oil might smoulder and suffocate birds and fish, marine animals that have to surface for air like turtles and dolphin, and even otters that use our waterways,” said Ms Ye.
The group has posted photos on Facebook of a Kingfisher bird at Lazarus covered in oil.
“We can’t try to rescue it, as our boats cannot go out,” Ms Ye said.
Ms Ye, who also works in boat and yacht chartering, said 10 chartered trips scheduled for this coming week have been cancelled and customers are asking for a refund.
“There’s a lot of foregone income for the chartering companies. We don’t know if we are going to come together to file a claim.”
A monitor lizard (left) and a Kingfisher bird covered in oil on June 15. PHOTOS: ELEANOR GREAT, SAMUEL PUA
She added that her customers will have the option to reschedule their trips with an open ticket, that they can redeem in the next six months.
A cyclist who lives about 1km from East Coast Park also said he could smell fumes the moment he woke up.
“I went to the park at around 10am, and I noticed the smell had become more pungent,” said the cyclist, who works in the marine industry and did not want to be named.
He then spotted a large mass of oil in the waters near the Amber Beacon Tower, an observation tower in the park.
“I saw a few kids still playing there, so I told the parents to pack up and leave. There should be a prompt public announcement for the public to stay away.”
The oil slick also appeared along the coast at East Coast Park on June 15. ST PHOTO: SYARAFANA SHAFEEQ
When ST was at the park around 2pm, there was a strong smell of oil in the air. Black debris can be seen lining the shore.
Mr David Loh, 67, was driving past the beach when he decided to make a quick stop for some fresh air.
Expecting the sea breeze, he was concerned when the smell of oil hit him instead.
The retired consultant said: “As I walked closer to the shore, I could see the black oil washing up. The smell was very strong.”
Ms Shumin Lim looking at the oil spill along the beach at East Coast Park Area B3 on June 15. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
He told ST he decided to go home. “I don’t think smelling this is healthy, I think people should go home.”
Assistant engineer Zulfadhli Sulaiman, 39, and his brother’s children were playing in the sand when they noticed people leaving the water.
“The oil had started to reach, and everyone was getting out of the water.”
“My kids had planned to take a dip in the water too, but in the end they couldn’t. I know they’re a bit disappointed.”
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The waters of Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso Beach on Sentosa are currently closed for beach clean-up works, due to...
Posted by Sentosa on Friday, June 14, 2024
Clean-up operations are also under way at Pasir Panjang Terminal after a boat hit another vessel. The incident involved the Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima and the Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour, which was stationary..
In an update on June 15, MPA said that waterfront facilities, including SDC and other port terminals, have been alerted to monitor for oil sightings at their locations, and conduct a cleanup if necessary.
“Sixteen oil spill response craft have been deployed to continue spraying oil dispersants and to collect oil slicks on the water surface,” said the update.
“There is no impact on navigational traffic. Berthing operations at Pasir Panjang Terminal remain unaffected.”