SINGAPORE: An oil leak cleanup process is underway in Singapore when a tanker collided with a bulk carrier. The collision spread to 11 nautical miles (20km) north-east of the island of Pedra Branca spilling an estimated 4, 500 t (33, 000 bbl) of oil into Singapore Strait. But the fears are rising that it may spread to the Indonesian coast.
The collision occurred around 11 nautical miles (20 km) north-east of the island of Pedra Branca on 2 January, spilling an estimated 4,500 t (33,000 bbl) of oil into the Singapore Strait.
Four vessels equipped with oil booms and skimmers have been working to contain the oil, and have used non-toxic and biodegradable dispersants to break it into smaller globules, says the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
Initially there were fears that tides and weather would wash the spill on to the coast of Indonesia’s Bintan but satellite imagery has not detected it heading towards the tourist island.
The Libyan-registered oil tanker Alyarmouk was heading from Malaysia to China when it hit the Singapore-registered carrier Sinar Kapuas on its way home from Hong Kong. The collision ruptured a cargo tank aboard the double-hulled Alyarmouk. There have been no further leaks since the initial incident and both vessels are now anchored safely north-east of Pedra Branca.
Euan Graham, senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies told the Wall Street Journal that the spill is the largest in the region for some time, though said Singapore’s shipping lanes are well-regulated and have a good safety record.
