Singapore: Bunker spill from damaged shore fuel hose initially ‘mistaken’ to be water leak

An Auxiliary Police Officer (APO) deployed on the morning of 5 February spotted a leak from a hose at the Police Coast Guard (PCG) Brani Regional Base but misidentified it to be a water leak, according to a Singapore minister on Thursday (27 February). 

Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said this when responding to a parliamentary question by MP Dennis Tan on the oil leak at the Brani Regional Base on 5 February which resulted in 23 metric tonnes (mt) of diesel being leaked into Singapore’s southern waters.

Faishal said the officer deployed in PCG had reported at 11.57am that water was leaking from the affected hose at the pontoon.

“As there were both fuel and water hoses at the pontoon, and the APO was not trained to identify oil leaks, he had mistakenly reported it to be a water leak,” he said.

“Marine diesel appears as a clear transparent fluid, so he thought it was water.”

Pursuant to the officer’s report, a PCG officer arrived at about 12.25pm to do further checks but did not observe any leak. 

There was no visible oil sheen on the water in the area and no noticeable smell of leaked fuel. 

The facilities management staff arrived subsequently at 1.38pm to conduct further checks as part of PCG’s fault reporting protocol for leaks. The staff did not observe any oil sheen on the water, and there was no noticeable smell of fuel. 

As both the PCG officer and facilities management staff had observed no sign of discharge of oil into the water, it was assessed that the leak reported by the officer was indeed a water leak. A case was lodged for the rectification of a water leak.

Later, PCG discovered that the leak had stopped on its own at about 12.20 pm but restarted at about 2.47pm. 

The leak was finally stopped at about 3.40pm when a contractor spotted the leak and isolated the main valve.

Based on PCG’s investigations, he said the leak was caused by a damaged fuel hose connecting the wharf’s fuel distribution network to the fuel dispenser on a pontoon. 

“PCG’s preliminary assessment is that the fuel hose developed micro-cracks due to cyclical stresses during routine coiling and uncoiling, which eventually led to a tear that caused the fuel spillage,” he said.

“The fuel hoses are checked and maintained every month. The last maintenance check was conducted on 17 January 2025, and the next inspection was scheduled for the week of 10 February 2025.”

Following the oil leak at Brani Base, PCG promptly inspected all fuel hoses there on 6 February. Similar checks were completed on 8 February at its three other bases – Loyang, Lim Chu Kang, and Gul Regional Bases. 

“While PCG’s maintenance and reporting protocols are generally consistent with industry best practices, PCG is reviewing them nevertheless to further reduce the likelihood of leaks of such magnitude in the future.

Related: Singapore: Bunker spill leads to checks on all fuel pipes at other Police Coast Guard bases
Related: Singapore confirms bunker spill from damaged shore fuel hose at Brani Regional Base

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 28 February, 2025