Removal of oil from sea, beaches nearly done; cleanup of spill enters next phase

It entails removing oil remnants at sites not easily accessible and should take 3 months

- Lee Li Ying and Kok Yufeng

With the removal of oil from the sea and oil-soaked sand from affected beaches largely completed, the authorities are moving to the next phase of the cleanup of a 400-tonne spill.

This phase, which is expected to take around three months, entails cleaning up oil remnants in places that are not easily accessible, such as rock bunds and breakwaters, where oil could be trapped in crevices or deeper below the sand.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said at a joint ministerial press conference on June 24 that this phase is more complex, and requires trained personnel and specialised equipment.

The final phase of the cleanup operation will involve the removal of tar balls – small blobs of hardened, coagulated oil mixed with sand – using rakes and sieves.

Public areas will reopen progressively after the cleanup work is done, Ms Fu said, adding that the hope is to reopen less affected areas earlier, like certain stretches of East Coast Park.

She noted that even after a beach has been cleaned and reopened, swimming and water activities can resume only after water quality has returned to normal.

Samples will be collected and tested to assess if the water quality has returned to pre-incident levels and remains consistent for about a week.

On June 14, Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima hit stationary bunker vessel Marine Honour at Pasir Panjang Terminal after suffering a sudden loss of engine and steering control.

The incident caused oil from one of Marine Honour’s tanks to leak into the sea and stain coastlines at East Coast Park, Labrador Nature Reserve, Keppel Bay, the Southern Islands and Sentosa.