Oil booms at Coney Island, Chek Jawa, Pasir Ris Park removed

Oil containment booms pre-emptively placed at sensitive biodiversity areas in the north-east of Singapore have been removed after consultation with oil spill consultants, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said in a Facebook post on July 6.

The areas are: Pasir Ris Park, Coney Island Park, and Chek Jawa Wetlands on Pulau Ubin.

The booms were placed following a maritime accident at Pasir Panjang Terminal on June 14, in which a damaged cargo tank leaked oil into the sea.

Oil containment booms, which are barriers used to limit the spread of oil, were deployed in various areas to absorb the oil.

Based on visual surveys, those sites appear to be largely unaffected, said Mr Lee, adding that satellite imagery and drone surveys also show that there is no further oil entering the East Johor Strait.

“Booms need to be removed once the sites appear unaffected,” he said.