Singapore rushes to clean up oil spill after boat hits fuel supply ship

Singapore closed off several popular coastal parks as an oil spill continued to spread along its shores, with authorities vowing to intensify cleanup efforts on Sunday. The oil spilled into Singaporean waters after a Netherlands-flagged dredger struck a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel on Friday afternoon in the southern port of Pasir Panjang.

Authorities had said the vessel was no longer leaking oil, but added in a statement late on Saturday that "due to the tidal current, the treated oil has landed along shorelines including Sentosa, Labrador Nature Reserve, Southern Islands, Marina South Pier and East Coast Park." Despite the closures, some beach goers still visited on Sunday morning.

“It’s insidious because it gets into the nooks and crannies of stuff that it makes it really hard to clean up,” said Singapore-based Andrew Dixon, who runs several eco-tourism resorts on nearby Indonesian islands. “Nature is good at breaking it down — unfortunately or fortunately.”

Singapore is a global shipping and fuel bunkering hub. The environmental impact of the oil spill remains unclear, but local newspaper The Straits Times reported that fishermen were on alert for a spike in the number of fish deaths over the next few days.

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