Booms laid around damaged vessel not meant to ‘fence in' spilt oil, says Chee Hong Tat

He says they were preventive measure in case of any further spillage

- Esther Loi

The containment booms laid around a damaged vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal were not intended to “fence in” the oil that had been spilt, but rather were “preventive” in nature against any further spillage from the vessel, said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat on June 24.

A cargo tank on Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour was damaged after the vessel was hit by Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima, causing 400 tonnes of oil to leak into the sea at about 2.20pm on June 14.

Speaking at a press conference on June 24 to give updates on the cleanup, Mr Chee said the response times by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and its contractor, T&T Salvage Asia, were in line with international industry practices.

After MPA was alerted to the incident at 2.22pm on June 14, its first patrol craft arrived at the site at 2.33pm.

Mr Chee said the patrol craft sprayed dispersants on the oil sheens after confirming that oil had spilt into the water. Dispersants break down the oil to pave the way for subsequent cleaning operations at sea and on land, before the oil hardens over time and becomes tougher to remove.

After the first patrol craft was deployed, MPA and its contractors sent 11 more vessels to help with spraying dispersants and monitoring oil slicks, Mr Chee added.

The authority then activated T&T, whose boss was contacted at 2.55pm, to lay booms around the site.