Singapore: Oil leak at Pulau Bukom stopped; cleanup of oil sheens completed

There is no more oil leak observed going into the cooling water discharge channel after Shell shut down its oil processing unit at Pulau Bukom on Friday (27 December), stated a joint statement.

The clean-up of the light oil sheens off Pulau Bukom has been completed, informed an update from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board, and Sentosa Development Corporation.

Efforts by Shell to locate the source of the leak in the oil processing unit are ongoing. Additional containment and absorbent booms have been laid in the channel and at the mouth of the channel as precautionary measures.

Absorbent booms at Sisters’ Islands Marine Park and the beaches on Sentosa have also been laid as a precautionary measure. There have been no sightings of oil sheens or oil patches in the waters off Sentosa, and its beaches remain open for water activities.

Background

The oil sheens, discovered by Shell on 26 December at approximately 9:30 am, was reported to the MPA and the NEA at 11:58 am and 1:15 pm, respectively. An MPA craft reached the incident site at 12:15 pm to assess the situation and to provide support.

Initial assessments on 26 December determined the scale of oil sheens to be minor, with no risk to public safety or environmentally sensitive areas, given the containment measures Shell had implemented.

MPA deployed three patrol craft on 27 December when Shell requested support to hasten the clean-up of the light oil sheens off Pulau Bukom.

NEA is investigating the incident with MPA, and actions will be taken if any wrongdoing or lapse is discovered.

The leak in Shell’s oil processing unit is a different system from Shell’s earlier slop pipeline leak on 20 October 2024.

Related: Singapore: No new oil sightings after recent pipeline leak and bunkering incidents

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 30 December 2024