Oil patches spotted in S’pore’s southern waters off Pulau Sebarok, Pulau Semakau and Selat Pauh: MPA

SINGAPORE – Oil patches were spotted in Singapore’s southern waters off Pulau Sebarok, Pulau Semakau and Selat Pauh, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), adding that the authorities are investigating the source of the oil.

In a statement on Nov 1, MPA said it was alerted to a sighting of oil in the waters off Pulau Sebarok at about 10.25am on Nov 1.

Aerial surveillance by MPA then confirmed several patches of oil off Pulau Sebarok, Pulau Semakau and Selat Pauh.

There were no sightings of oil patches near West Coast, Sentosa, Southern Islands and East Coast, added MPA.

It said it has activated its oil spill response contractors, and terminals in the area have been directed to deploy their spill response resources.

The relevant agencies have also been alerted to take precautionary measures to protect the shorelines, if needed.

MPA said ships have also been alerted to report any sightings of oil patches.

It added that there is no impact to navigational traffic and port operations.

“MPA is continuing with surveillance, working with agencies and terminals to mitigate and clean up the oil patches, and investigating the source of the oil,” said MPA.