SINGAPORE: While a number of beaches in Singapore have been largely cleared of oil since an oil spill last week, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat stated on Thursday ( 20 ) that it will still take” some time” before the oil is completely removed.
In a joint statement on Thursday, Singapore’s authorities said clean- up efforts by the National Environment Agency ( NEA ) are progressing well , at East Coast Park , and a , “large majority” of oil deposits on the beach had been removed.  ,
The shores at Tanah Merah have also been generally cleaned up, while the seashores on three Singapore islands - , St John’s, Lazarus and Kusu- as well as a “large lot” of Sentosa’s Siloso beach , have been cleared of greasy dust, they added.  ,
In a Twitter article, Mr Chee noted the , progress made in the clear- up, saying:” Now, we are focused on cleaning up the oil slicks and sheens from water and land which are accessible through aircraft surveillance and satellite imagery.
The clean-up operation may take some time, and I would like to ask the views of the general public and businesses that are affected by this incident.” In the next phase, we would need to eliminate out stranded oil, such as those on oil-stained rock bunds…”
After a Netherlands-registered dredger, Vox Maxima, struck Singapore’s flagged bunker Marine Honour at Pasir Panjang Container Terminal ( PPT ), oil washed up along the coast of a number of beaches in Singapore on June 14.
One of the crude cargo tanks on Marine Honour exploded due to this, leaking about 400 tons of low-sulphur gas into the water. Mr. Chee said on Tuesday that the oil spill that resulted in the spillage that affected many coastlines, including the gravel black, was not the result of port congestion.
Wash- UP EFFORTS
The Maritime and Port Authority ( MPA ), NEA, the National Parks Board ( NParks ), Singapore’s national water agency PUB, the Sentosa Development Corporation ( SDC ), the Singapore Food Agency ( SFA ) and the Singapore Land Authority ( SLA ) on Thursday gave an update on the ongoing , clean- up efforts.
They noted that despite the beach cleanup efforts being essentially successful, more work would probably be needed as oil stricken areas may continue to be swept in by tides.
The oil-stained stone bunds facing Sentosa’s Siloso beach will also be getting thoroughly cleaned. As for Sentosa’s Palawan and Tanjong beaches, clear- up efforts are continued, with more focused cleaning planned after the clear- up at Siloso shore is completed.
According to the government, isolation boom deployments have been completed off the three Sentosa beaches.
While the beaches are still available and area businesses are still running as usual, they continued, adding that swimming and other water sports are not permitted.