Oh dear, we might have an mini-ecological mishap in our hands. Following the collision of two container vessels in the waters off Johor Port on Tuesday, most of the oil spill has drifted into Singapore waters.
At about 11.50pm on Jan 3, Singapore-registered container vessel WAN HAI 301 and a Gibraltar-registered container vessel APL DENVER collided, spilling approximately 300 tonnes of oil.
In a report by New Straits Times, Malaysia’s State Health and Environment Executive Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat stated that Pulau Ubin was impacted the most from the oil spill. The cause of the accident is still under investigations.
The extent of the damage is unknown, but it is a worrying issue, considering how the island in the north east of Singapore plays host to a diverse number of birds, both native and migratory.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)’s aerial surveillance spotted two patches of oil concentrated along the western coastlines of Pulau Ubin, where the Outward Bound Singapore jetty is located.
A total of nine vessels were deployed to contain the oil patches. Since the collision, the MPA has been working closely with NParks and the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) to manage the incident.
Already, coastal fish farms near Pulau Ubin have reported losses — one farm was said to have lost between 100kg and 200kg of fish. Farmers speaking to The Straits Times said that remnants of oil got into their fish nets as well.
Coastal fish farmers located in the East Johor Strait have been alerted, and are advised to stop feeding their fish. The AVA has also collected fish samples from the farms for food safety tests — after all, they’re the ones providing fish for Singaporeans’ consumption.
Reader Interactions