Image Source: Flickr. By: WildSingapore.
Yesterday, a bulk carrier and oil tanker collided in waters between Singapore and Malaysia; the tanker suffered a 33 foot (10 meter) gash, which caused a spill of 2,500 tons of oil.
At that point in time, port authorities of Singapore measured the spill at a size of 2.49 miles (4 km) by 0.62 miles (1 km) and located about 3.73 miles (6 km) south of southeastern Singapore. However, things have changed since then.
Within a few hours of the collision, the spill estimated doubled in size to 5,000 tons of oil. To make matters worse, a crude oil slick was headed straight for the eastern coast of Singapore. At least 20 vessels from both Malaysia and Singapore were involved in the cleanup effort and 200 additional people were placed on hold to deal with any coastal areas damaged by the spill.
The oil slick was being treated with biodegradable dispersants and containment booms are currently in place to keep the spill confined. Although considerably smaller than the Gulf Coast oil spill, the effort was not enough to keep the spill from reaching Singapore’s coastline. Patches of oil were found along the eastern shore, particularly near a ferry terminal, naval base, sailing center and resort in the Changi Airport vicinity.
Updates will be posted as they happen.
By Heidi Marshall