Singapore's minister says oil spill was not caused by port congestion

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said that the oil spill in Singapore was not due to port congestion as the “port waters and anchorages are not congested.”

PHOTO: Booms deployed to contain the oil spillage. The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore

Last Friday, the dredger Vox Maxima lost engine and steering control, colliding with the bunker vessel Marine Honour and causing an oil spill in Singapore. The collision ruptured one of Marine Honour’s oil tanks, releasing around 400 mt of VLSFO into the sea, according to a social media post by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) chief executive Eng Dih Teo.

“The earlier reports on delays experienced by container vessels are a separate matter that is due to the bunching of container vessels arriving at PSA,” Tat added.

The incident has triggered an intensive clean-up effort across Singapore, involving the deployment of 3,400 meters of booms and oil recovery operations at sea. These efforts rely on predictive modeling of tidal and wind conditions, as well as drone and satellite imagery.

Organizations such as Oil Spill Response (OSRL), an international cooperative specialiaing in oil spill response, and T&T Group are supporting the clean-up efforts.

Despite the oil spill, bunkering operations have remained largely unaffected, according to a source. Another source says there has been a limited impact on bunkering because of the oil spill.

By Tuhin Roy

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