Beaches on Singapore's Sentosa Island closed due to an oil spill June 15, 2024

A worker cleans up an oil slick on Siloso beach on Singapore's Sentosa island on June 15. Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN

By AFP -Agence France Presse

Beaches on Singapore's Sentosa Island closed due to an oil spill

Beaches on Singapore's main resort island of Sentosa, which are also home to luxury beachfront homes, were closed on Saturday due to an oil spill at a nearby port, maritime authorities said.

The oil spill resulted from an accident on Friday at the Pasir Panjang terminal between a Dutch-flagged dredger and a Singapore-flagged stationary bunker vessel, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.

The waters of three popular beaches on the island “are currently closed for beach clean-up works due to cases of oil spillage observed in the sea waters,” the island said in a notice on its website.

Black residue from the oil slick is visible on the beaches, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

A sign placed on an isolated beach read: “Oil slick detected. Clean-up in progress. Please stay away from water".

The MPA said that oil slicks and light sheens were observed at Pasir Panjang Terminal and along Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso beaches.

Sentosa is a popular tourist destination that is home to a casino, the only Universal Studios attraction in Southeast Asia, and luxury beachfront homes for expats and the ultra-rich.

“Oil spill response vessels have been mobilized to continue spraying oil dispersants and to collect the oil slicks on the water surface,” the MPA said, adding that shipping traffic was not affected.

mba/sn