Clean-up of the Singapore oil spill disaster, which has affected the popular destination of Sentosa for several weeks now, has entered its final stage, according to an announcement by Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, and Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations, Singapore.
At this stage, the oil spill clean-up operation is focused on removing tar balls — a mix of oil and sand, solidified in a roughly ball-like shape.
Fu wrote in a Facebook post yesterday: “Oil spill is almost gone! Clean-up of the oil off rock bunds and on the beach is progressing faster than we expected. Siloso Beach and East Coast Park [Area B] are now in the final phase of clean-up operations. We are calling all volunteers to come forward to help our cleaning staff to comb and remove tar balls from the beaches.”
Explaining what this entailed, the post said: “What are ‘tar balls’? These are remnant oil deposits which have hardened and mixed with sand. They can be as small as pebbles and as big as our fists. They are scattered across the affected beaches and it is a labour-intensive process to pick them up. So, this is the time to call for extra help from you volunteers out there!”
The minister wrote: “In the coming days, we will be deploying volunteers to literally sieve through our affected beaches, after ensuring that the beaches are cleaned enough to do so. The sooner we can clear these tar balls, the sooner we can enjoy our beautiful beaches. Personally, I am quite excited to do this because I have always liked to play with sand. Join us, for the biggest beach clean-up exercise in Singapore!”
Singapore was affected by the oil spill — extremely harmful to both marine life and business in coastal areas — on June 14, when a Netherlands-flagged dredger collided with a stationary vessel. The impact of the collision caused a large amount of oil spill from the vessel’s cargo tank.
CNA reported that “oil washed up along several beaches, including those on Sentosa, East Coast Park and Labrador Nature Reserve, as well as beaches at St John’s, Lazarus and Kusu islands. Oil slicks were also spotted at Marina South Pier.”
An estimated 1,500 people in Singapore have been volunteering to help the authorities clean up the coastal areas.
