An oil absorbing boom has been deployed at the East Coast beach. - ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
SINGAPORE (Bloomberg): A land-based pipeline leak has led to about 30-40 metric tons of "slop” - a mixture of oil and water - being spilled into the sea off Singapore, Shell Plc said in a statement today.
Shell said it is "actively working with all relevant authorities to manage the clean-up effort” and to ensure the safety of people as well as limit the environmental impact.
The company has deployed containment booms, anti-pollution crafts and spraying of dispersant to contain and break up the oil. The leak occurred between Bukom Island and Bukom Kecil at 5:30am Sunday.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has deployed a current buster system off Changi at the entrance to the East Johor Strait to collect oil slick, if sighted, according to a joint media statement from government agencies. Other precautionary measures have been taken to prevent a potential spread.
Authorities have advised the public against swimming and conducting other primary contact water activities at some beaches. There were no other oil sightings as of 3pm Singapore time.
Shell also said on Monday there was no impact to operations after an oil leak over the weekend from a land-based pipeline at Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore on Bukom island, adding that the leak had been stopped.
"We estimate that approximately 30-40 metric tonnes of slop, which is a mixture of oil and water, was leaked into the sea," the company said in a statement, adding that it was working with all relevant authorities to manage the clean-up effort.
"There is no impact to Bukom operations or supply. The leak has been stopped and we are taking steps to clean up the oil which has spilled," a Shell spokesperson said in an email.
Shell Singapore in August shut one crude distillation unit (CDU) and other facilities at its refinery on Bukom for a scheduled overhaul. The maintenance was expected to end in the first half of October.
The company sold its refinery and petrochemical plants in Singapore to a joint venture company between Indonesia petrochemicals producer Chandra Asri and major trading house Glencore in early May. The transaction is expected to complete by the end of 2024.
Earlier this year, beaches on Singapore's Sentosa island were closed after an oil spill spread from a nearby shipping terminal to the tourist haven south of the city-state.
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