KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia. An oil spill caused by a dredger boat colliding with a stationary cargo tanker has blackened parts of Singapore’s southern coastline, including the popular resort island of Sentosa. The incident has sparked concerns over potential threats to marine wildlife, prompting an extensive clean-up operation that was underway on Sunday.
The collision occurred on Friday when the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck the Singaporean fuel supply ship Marine Honor, damaging the cargo tank and causing oil to leak into the sea.
In a statement released late Saturday, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) confirmed that the oil leak had been contained. However, due to tidal currents, treated oil has reached the shorelines of Sentosa and other southern islands, impacting a nature reserve and a public beach park. Sentosa, a major tourist destination, is home to one of Singapore’s two casinos, golf courses, and Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park.
On Sunday, workers in orange suits were seen scooping up sand in a clean-up operation at an empty beach in Sentosa, where black water had washed up on the oil-stained shore.
Authorities have deployed 18 vessels for the clean-up efforts and laid nearly 1,500 meters of containment booms—temporary floating barriers designed to trap the oil spill. “More will be laid over the next few days to prevent further spread of oil onto the shore and facilitate the recovery of the trapped oil off the affected shorelines and lagoons to prevent them from going back to sea,” the MPA statement said.
Conservationists and biologists are closely monitoring the full extent of the damage to marine and wildlife. Local conservation group Marine Stewards reported sightings of dead fish, otters, and kingfishers covered in oil slick.
Sue Ye, founder of Marine Stewards, told the Singapore Straits Times that oil spills “smother and suffocate fish, birds, and marine animals that have to go to the surface for air, such as turtles and dolphins.”
The environmental impact of the spill is still being assessed, and clean-up operations are expected to continue in the coming days to mitigate further damage and restore the affected areas.
Carlo Juancho FuntanillaFrontend Developer, WordPress, Shopify
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AMA ACLC San Pablo
