21-6-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) In response to the recent oil spill in Singapore that released around 400 tonnes of fuel into the sea, the Malaysian state of Johor has activated coastal patrols and monitoring activities in the district of Kota Tinggi’s Sungai Rengit area. Authorities are also considering the implementation of a coastal cleaning plan to mitigate the potential impact of the spill.
Ling Tian Soon, the chairman of the State Health and Environment Committee, stated that related agencies will continue to monitor the pollution levels in the waters off Pengerang from time to time. Sungai Rengit and Pengerang are situated east of Changi, tens of kilometres away from areas in Singapore such as East Coast Park and the beaches of Tanah Merah, which have been affected by the oil spill.
The incident occurred on June 14 when a Netherlands-flagged dredger, Vox Maxima, collided with and ruptured one of the oil cargo tanks of the Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour at the Pasir Panjang Container Terminal (PPT) in Singapore.
According to Ling, his department received information from Singapore’s National Environment Agency regarding the oil spill at 8.30 am on Tuesday, as reported by the news outlet Malay Mail. The following day, around 9.30 am, Johor’s Department of Environment also received information from the Pengerang Municipal Council about oil pollution on Kota Tinggi’s Sungai Rengit beach.
Johor officials have conducted on-site inspections of certain areas affected by the oil spill. On Wednesday, Tanjung Surat assemblyman Aznan Tamin posted photos on Facebook of an inspection carried out with Kota Tinggi district officer Ahmad Nazir Mohd Nasir and state environment department director Mohd Famey Yusoff.
Aznan, who is also the chairman of the Johor education and information committee, added that a special meeting would be held on Thursday (June 20) to “determine intervention actions that need to be taken to avoid the situation from getting worse”.
The oil spill has impacted Singapore’s shorelines at various locations, including Sentosa, Labrador Nature Reserve, East Coast Park, and St John’s, Lazarus, and Kusu islands, among others. While several beaches in Singapore have been largely cleared of oil, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat stated on Thursday that it will take “some time” before the oil is completely removed.
Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority has indicated that it will seek compensation for costs incurred from the spill from the owners of Marine Honour, which has insurance coverage to meet the liability.
