Ministerial Statement on the Pasir Panjang Terminal Oil Spill Incident

Jul 2, 2024

Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at Parliamentary Sitting on 2 July 2024

I will now elaborate on the efforts taken by agencies and the community to contain and mitigate the immediate impacts of the oil spill on our coastal and marine wildlife, the impact thus far and the potential longer-term impact on biodiversity and habitats, as well as our action plan in the months to come.

Affected beaches and shorelines were closed off to safeguard public health and safety, and frontline workers were deployed to clean up affected areas such as East Coast Park, Labrador Nature Reserve, Sentosa, as well as St John’s, Lazarus, and Kusu Islands.

NParks deployed over 1.5 km of oil-absorbent booms to protect biodiversity-sensitive coastal and marine areas, including Berlayer Creek and the Rocky Shore along Labrador Nature Reserve. These booms contained the spread of the oil, and facilitated clean-up operations along affected beaches and shorelines.

As some oil was detected off Changi on 17 June, agencies also pre-emptively deployed booms around biodiversity-sensitive areas, such as at Chek Jawa Wetlands at Pulau Ubin, Coney Island Park, and Pasir Ris Park as preventive measure

Based on the visual surveys thus far, oil was sighted along the upper intertidal zones of biodiversity-sensitive sites at Labrador rocky shore, Tanjong Rimau and Serapong at Sentosa, Bendera Bay at St John’s Island, Eagle Bay at Lazarus Island, as well as the outer mangrove fringes at the mouth of Berlayer Creek near Labrador Nature Reserve. However, the intertidal zones at other biodiversity-sensitive areas such as Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, other Southern islands, Changi Beach Park, Pasir Ris Park and Chek Jawa Wetlands at Pulau Ubin appear to be largely unaffected. Similarly, the mangroves at West Coast Park and Pasir Ris Park also appear to be largely unaffected. Notwithstanding this, we will continue to monitor these sites closely.

As of end-June, NParks and animal welfare groups such as ACRES have rescued four collared kingfishers from the oil spill, two of which were received by NParks’ Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation. Despite prompt veterinary care, two of the four kingfishers unfortunately died, but the other two appear to have stabilised and we are monitoring their condition.

Some of the impact on our marine and coastal ecosystems may only show up weeks, or even months later, such as during spawning periods. Assessments of the environmental impact of the oil spill on our offshore islands are therefore also still ongoing.

Based on our experience with the oil spill that affected the intertidal and seagrass habitats at Tanah Merah back in 2010, as well as the oil spill that affected Chek Jawa Wetlands at Pulau Ubin and Changi Beach Park in 2017, while our ecosystems are resilient, they will take time to recover from such external stressors.

At Tanah Merah, the intertidal and seagrass habitats started to recover after one year, and no longer show any signs of impact from the 2010 oil spill today. At Changi Beach Park, long-term biodiversity surveys have showed no discernible changes to the intertidal fauna before and after the oil spill in 2017.

We will closely monitor the impact on and recovery of our marine habitats and biodiversity including seagrasses, corals and aquatic wildlife, through intertidal and subtidal biodiversity surveys. NParks will also undertake rescue and rehabilitative efforts for affected wildlife where necessary.

As of 1 July, we have deployed over 700 volunteers, including volunteers from the Public Hygiene Council (PHC), and the Friends of Marine Park. Organisations, such as the Singapore Veterinary Association, World Wildlife Fund for Nature (Singapore), Singapore Canoe Federation and many more, have stepped forward to offer help in their own ways.

We are very grateful to our volunteers for their strong support, and to members of the public, nature groups and other organisations for coming together alongside our frontline workers and colleagues to mitigate the impacts of the oil spill.

During a recent consultation with these partners, some suggestions were raised, which we will be incorporated into actionable plans.

First, we will work with various stakeholder networks to disseminate information to keep the public updated on the progress of recovery efforts.

Through our partners, we hope to share information on the recovery and response operations, that can be translated into advisories and information guides for members of the public. For example, Bird Society of Singapore and Otter Watch will work with us to share tips with members of the public on the dos and don’ts when spotting oil-slicked wildlife.

Second, we will involve the wider community for coastal clean-ups and citizen patrols.

In the next six months and beyond, once NEA has assessed the affected areas to be safe for public access, we will work with our partners on recovery efforts, such as coastal clean-ups and beach patrols and surveys.

In fact, community beach clean-up groups, such as Stridy and International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (ICCS), have already started to coordinate their respective networks so that they can organise beach clean-ups, once we can do so.

Third, we will work with partners to tap on their expertise and skills to support wildlife rescue and recovery efforts.

Partners from Mandai Wildlife Group, Singapore Veterinary Association, ACRES, and the S.E.A. Aquarium, with their own pool of veterinarians, have offered to support wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts where needed.

And fifth, we will conduct scientific research with the scientific community, to better understand the longer-term impacts of the oil spill on biodiversity. We have already started surveys at the Southern Islands and Labrador Nature Reserve, as well as Serapong and Tanjong Rimau in Sentosa.

Once again, we would like to extend my gratitude to our many partners and community volunteers, who have leaned forward and worked hand in hand with our colleagues in our agencies to manage the oil spill. With your help, we will be able to ensure that our ecosystems remain resilient.