MPA reports 5 tonnes of oil spilled off Changi on 28 Oct; Overflow has ceased

SINGAPORE: In an update posted on Facebook on Tuesday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) provided information regarding an oil spill incident that occurred off Changi at 5.40pm on 28 October.

The incident took place during a bunkering operation involving a Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier ship, INES CORRADO, and a licensed bunker tanker.

Bunkering refers to the supplying of fuel for use by ships, with the fuel itself known as bunker.

The Port of Singapore is recognised as the largest bunkering port in the world.

According to the MPA, approximately five tonnes of oil overflowed during the bunkering process, resulting in a spill into the sea.

MPA vessels arrived on the scene at around 5.50pm and promptly sprayed dispersants in the affected area.

Dispersants are chemical agents designed to break up oil spills into small droplets, which subsequently dilute throughout the water and are more easily degraded by micro-organisms.

MPA: As of 8am on 29 October, no oil was spotted at sea

As of 8am on 29 October, the MPA reported that no oil was spotted at sea in the vicinity of the incident, and there was no impact on navigational traffic.

As a precautionary measure, the MPA deployed a Current Buster, a system specifically designed to collect oil from water, off Changi in the event that any of the spilled fuel was detected.

Relevant Singaporean government agencies and Malaysian authorities have also been alerted to remain vigilant for any oil sightings.

The MPA has announced that it will be conducting an investigation into the incident.

Singapore’s third oil spill since June

This incident comes just over a week after an oil spill on 20 October led to a large-scale containment response after a pipeline leak from a major energy company, Shell.

The spill, which involved approximately 30 to 40 metric tonnes of “slop” (a mix of oil and water), resulted in the deployment of containment booms by Shell and additional dispersant-equipped craft by MPA.

Following clean-up efforts, Shell reported that the majority of the spill around Bukom had been contained, though light sheens of oil remained in isolated patches near Bukom and Bukom Kechil islands.

An advisory against swimming in areas around East Coast and the Southern Islands, issued initially after the spill, was lifted on 25 October once safety assessments were complete.

In June, an allision between a Netherlands-flagged dredger, Vox Maxima, and a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel, Marine Honour, at Pasir Panjang Terminal, resulted in a 400-tonne fuel leak.

This accident, which was attributed to a sudden loss of engine and steering control on the dredger, released a substantial amount of low-sulphur fuel into the surrounding waters.

The environmental impact was extensive, with oil washing up along various beaches, including Sentosa Island, East Coast Park, and Labrador Nature Reserve.

These locations were subsequently closed for clean-up, and efforts involved 800 personnel and over 2,300 volunteers. Operations were completed two months after the initial spill.