Tidal currents pose challenge to oil spill clean-up operations; drones, satellite imagery deployed to help effort: MPA

A senior executive at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore ( MPA ) stated that the oil spill that has affected several parts of Singapore’s coastline has been a challenge because of the constantly-changing tides.

After the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima struck a stable Singapore-flagged bunker vessel, causing oil to pour down into the water from the vessel’s broken cargo tank, the spillage occurred at Pasir Panjang Terminal on Jun 14.

Captain Chong Jia Chyuan, port master of MPA, told the media that the agency’s cleaning efforts on Tuesday ( Jun 18 ) included the spraying of dispersants on the oil spill at the scene.

” Due to the current seas, some crude has landed on the southwestern coast of Singapore. Some of the problems that we face is that the oil on water is extremely portable, it keeps moving due to the change of coastal tides”, he explained.

” The use of resources to obtain this oil is challenging,” said one analyst. We use technology to monitor the most recent photos of oil movement, such as robots and satellite images.

According to Capt Chong, MPA had activated its oil flow answer contractors in the wake of the spill, removing the excess oil from the two vessels and installing booms in their areas.

In order to continue conducting investigations, the two vessels are anchored in the European Anchorage. On Tuesday, the Marine Honour’s before, which had a wide hole in its aspect from which 400 metric tons of fuel leaked into the sea, was revealed to be covered in gas fuel from the Vox Maxima’s hull, which was visible as being black.

Capt Chong stated that the first thing to do right away after the affair was to prevent the broken vessels from leaking into the water, something that had been accomplished by Friday evening.

NEW ASSETS Established

Recent Busters are also included in the MPA’s existing arsenal of oil-response equipment.

A Recent Buster is a device that was created to collect oil from the water’s edge. Towed by two arteries, it sweeps the water’s edge, funneling the crude towards an area where it is contained.