A Netherlands-flagged ship struck a stationary vessel in Singapore, causing an oil spill that blackened the waters of the city state’s popular beaches and prompted a huge cleanup operation along its southern shores.
The Vox Maxima dredger reported a “sudden loss in engine and steering control before its allision” with the Singapore-flagged Marine Honour, a bunker vessel carrying fuel oil, on Friday, according to a Sunday statement by Singaporean authorities.
The allision — when a moving vessel collides with a stationary object — ruptured one of the Marine Honour’s oil cargo tanks, causing its “contents of low-Sulphur fuel oil” to be released into the sea, said the statement from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the National Environment Agency, the National Parks Board and Sentosa Development Corporation.
The strike took place around 2 p.m. local time at the Pasir Panjang port in southern Singapore, according to a Friday statement from the Maritime and Port Authority. Both vessels were “anchored safely,” and the damaged cargo tank on board the Marine Honour was “isolated” and the oil spill “contained,” the maritime authority said.
Half of the bunker vessel’s fuel — about 400 metric tons — leaked into the sea instantly, Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper reported.
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Because of tidal currants, the oil spill then spread to other areas in southern Singapore, including Sentosa, Labrador Nature Reserve, Southern Islands, Marina South Pier, and East Coast Park, officials said.
Authorities did not say how far the oil spill had spread, but said on Monday that some oil had been reported in Changi, eastern Singapore, about 16 miles from Sentosa.
Officials shut several beaches along southern Singapore, and while it kept beaches in the popular resort island of Sentosa open, it said people were not allowed to swim or take part in other sea-based activities there.
In a Monday statement to The Washington Post, the Sentosa Development Corporation, a government agency, said its “primary focus is on the recovery efforts and the restoration of water quality along the three affected beaches” there, adding that some 100 trained workers were deployed across Sentosa’s beaches to assist in the cleanup operation using specialized oil containment and recovery equipment.
Photos showed workers wearing protective clothing attempting to clean up the blackened sand and water. Hundreds of people have also volunteered to help with the cleanup operation, authorities said.
The oil spill came as locals prepared to mark a long holiday weekend for Eid al-Adha, also known by its Malaysian name, Hari Raya Haji.
Following the oil spill, responders worked to quickly spray dispersants — chemical agents that are used to break up the oil into smaller droplets — on the spill, authorities said.
They have also deployed oil skimmers — equipment used to physically remove floating spills from the water surface — and about 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) of booms — floating barriers to help contain and divert spillages — around the vessel, authorities said Monday, adding that the operation will continue for several more days.
Vox Maxima crew members are assisting with the ongoing investigation, officials added.
The environmental impact of the oil spill is not yet clear.
The Straits Times reported Sunday that “no significant wildlife casualties” were immediately reported on some southern islands but noted that longer-term consequences may take time to emerge.
Officials said they placed oil absorbent booms across several biodiversity-sensitive areas as a preventive measure.
Andrew Dixon, who runs an sustainable resort near Singapore, told Reuters that oil spills of this scale are rare in Singapore and called on authorities to enact penalties so something like this doesn’t take place again. “It is just criminal,” he said.