SINGAPORE: Clean-up efforts in the aftermath of the oil spill incident at Pasir Panjang Terminal are being expanded to cover more areas with the deployment of additional resources.
The authorities said on Monday (Jun 17) that 1,600m of booms will be installed over the next few days at designated sites to support the containment of the oil and facilitate the restoration of the affected beaches and shorelines.
This is on top of the 1,500m of container booms that have been put in place since the oil spill on Friday when a dredger hit a bunker vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal.
Some of the oil has also been seen off Changi on Monday, read a joint media statement by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks), Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and national water agency PUB.
Additional booms will be deployed as a preventive measure off Changi East, the authorities said.
Seven oil recovery assets were also sent out on Monday to skim and collect the remaining oil spillage off the water surface to minimise further spread.
BIODIVERSITY-SENSITIVE AREAS
Oil started washing up on Saturday along the coast of several beaches in Singapore staining the sand black and sending the stench of petrochemicals into the air.
Cleaning and containment efforts have been in full swing since then, with the authorities watching for any further spread.
The authorities said on Monday that oil-absorbent booms have been deployed off biodiversity-sensitive areas of Chek Jawa Wetlands at Pulau Ubin, Coney Island Park and Pasir Ris Par as preventive measures.