Major oil spills in the Straits of Singapore

The Straits of Singapore lies between Singapore and the Riau Archipelago, Indonesia, and links the Straits of Malacca to the South China Sea. It is approximately 113 km long and 5 to 12 km wide, although its narrowest navigable width is 2.9 km.¹ It is on the shipping route of the Asia Pacific region, linking East Asia to Europe.² This makes it one of the busiest sea lanes in the world³ hence, highly vulnerable to oil spills.⁴ Furthermore, besides being one of the world’s busiest container ports, Singapore is also a marine bunking centre, as well as an oil refining centre with a high volume of marine trade and shipping traffic daily.⁵ According to the 1999 Oil Spill Intelligence Report, the Straits of Singapore is considered to be one of the world’s hot spots for oil spills. Since 1960, Singapore and Malaysia together have suffered 39 spills totalling at least 34 tonnes.⁶

Recognising the high vulnerability of the Straits to incidents leading to oil spills and subsequent pollution of surrounding waters and shores, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has put in place a comprehensive system to ensure navigational safety in the Straits. This is to minimise marine accidents and oil pollution.⁷ One such measure is the Traffic Separation Scheme, which ensures that ships travelling within a common lane move together in the same direction.⁸

Singapore has also implemented the Prevention of the Pollution of the Sea Act (Chapter 243) and the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution) Act, in its commitment to prevent and combat oil pollution.⁹ The former legally prohibits ships, land and apparatus from discharging pollutants into the sea by imposing fines on errant entities.¹⁰ Likewise, the latter sets out the rights and liabilities of those involved in oil pollution.¹¹ Besides these two Acts, there is an Oil Spill Contingency Plan, where exercises are conducted annually, and the Marine Emergency Action Procedure, which enhances the country’s operational readiness to respond to any marine emergency or accident.¹²

At the regional level, Singapore works closely with Indonesia and Malaysia to prevent and control marine pollution. The Revolving Fund, for instance, was established in 1981 for use in combating oil pollution caused by ships. The Revolving Fund Committee has a standard operating procedure for joint oil spill combat in the Straits.¹³

Major spills
According to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited, a non-profit organisation dealing with oil and chemical spills, oil spills that exceed 700 tonnes can be categorised as large spills.¹⁴ The following are some of the major oil spills that have occurred in the Straits.

1972: In June, the Shell super tanker, Myrtea, ran aground half-mile west of Pulau Bukom. An estimated 1,000 tonnes of crude oil was leaked into the sea from a damaged tank. This caused a two-mile long oil slick to form, which was carried by strong currents toward the shores of mainland Singapore. This slick eventually washed up on the beaches of Bedok, Changi, Loyang and Tanah Merah.¹⁵

1975: In January, about 3,300 tonnes of crude oil were spilled when a Japanese super tanker, Showa Maru, ran aground off Pulau Sebarok.¹⁶ The ensuing oil spill polluted the waters around Sentosa and other offshore islands of Singapore.¹⁷ The owners and liability insurers eventually paid S$3.8 million in claims to Singapore, S$2.9 million to Indonesia and S$1.3 million to Malaysia.¹⁸

1987: In July, a Liberian-registered tanker, Stolt Advance, ran aground about 4 km southeast of St John’s Island. The oil spill polluted the shoreline stretching from Tanjong Rhu to the reclaimed land off Changi, and affected fish farms killing thousands of fish and crustaceans. The cost of the clean-up was estimated to be S$1.4 million.¹⁹ Another tanker, the Libyan-registered Elhani, ran aground about 7.5 km southeast of the Raffles Lighthouse in the same month, spilling more than 2,300 tonnes of crude oil. The oil polluted the shorelines of East Coast and stretched from Tanjong Rhu to Tanah Merah.²⁰ The owners and liability insurers of Elhani had to pay S$2 million in claims.²¹

1996: In August, Song San, a Singapore-registered tanker, dumped oil into the sea and was fined S$400,000.²² The oil polluted the three main beaches of Sentosa – Central, Tanjong and Siloso – forcing all beach activities at the popular tourist attraction to be cancelled.²³

1997: In October, Thai-registered crude-oil tanker Orapin Global collided with Cyprus-registered tanker Evoikos about 5 km south of the Singapore Port Limit.²⁴ 28,463 tonnes of oil spilled from Evoikos, which had been broken up by the collision. The MPA, together with the Ministry of the Environment, Singapore Civil Service Defence Force and Singapore Armed Forces, tried to contain the massive spill.²⁵ The government had to seek emergency aid from the Japanese government, which despatched a Japan Disaster Relief Team of six members. The disaster ravaged mangrove forests and coral reefs in the vicinity of Raffles Lighthouse.²⁶ The waters west of Singapore, around Pulau Bukom, Senang, Pawai and Sudong, were described as a sea of black coffee, with greasy patches as wide as 50 m in some parts.²⁷ The oil slick also washed up at Pulau Sabarok and Pulau Nantu.²⁸

2000: In October, about 7,000 tonnes of crude oil were spilled when a Panama-registered vessel, Natuna Sea, ran aground off Batu Berhanti Beacon, just 8 km from Sentosa.²⁹ The oil washed up on the beaches of Sentosa, St John’s Island and Pulau Sekijang.³⁰

2010: In May, a Malaysian-registered tanker, MT Bunga Kelana 3 and St Vincents, collided with Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily, about 13 km from Changi’s shore, spilling about 2,500 tonnes of crude oil into the waters near Changi.³¹ Patches of oil and sheen were seen at Changi Naval Base, affecting part of the coast between Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and the base. The oil slick also affected the coast between the National Sailing Centre and NSRCC-Safra Resort, stretching 7.2 km from East Coast Park’s Big Splash water park to Changi. The slick reached the Chek Jawa wetlands on Pulau Ubin and Changi Beach as winds and tides pushed it into the northeastern waters of Singapore.³²

2014: In January and February, three ship collisions occurred, causing a total of 760 tonnes of fuel oil to be spilled into Singapore waters and polluting the beach waters of Kusu and St John’s Island within two months. Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker Lime Galaxy and China-flagged container ship, Feihe, collided around 2.7 km south of Jurong Island. Panama-flagged container ship NYK Thermis and Singapore-registered barge AZ Fuzhou collided at the East Keppel Fairway about 4 km south of Marina South. Liberia-flagged container ship, Hammonia Thracium and Panama-flagged chemical tanker, Zoey collided about 10 km south of mainland Singapore.³³



Authors
Jenny Kiong & Kartini Saparudin



References
1. “Straits of Singapore,” Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, accessed 13 May 2016.  
2. Robert C. Beckman, Carr Grundy-Warr and Vivian L. Forbes, Acts of Piracy in the Malacca and Singapore Straits (Durham: International Boundaries Research Unit, 1994), 7. (Call no. RSING q364.164 BEC)
3. “Energy,” Singapore Economic Development Board, accessed 13 May 2016.
4. Dominic Nathan, “Top Standards and Equipment Minimise Damage from Oil Spills,” Straits Times, 9 June 1995, 19. (From NewspaperSG)
5. “Top 50 World Container Ports,” World Shipping Council, accessed 13 May 2016; Maritime Port Authority of Singapore, Annual Report 2015 (Singapore: Maritime Port Authority of Singapore, 2016), 3, 20; Singapore Economic Development Board, “Energy.”
6. “Positive Projections – Business Development,” EcoSave Technologies, accessed 13 May 2016.  
7. M. E. S. Heah, “Singapore – Pollution Risk Management” (Paper presented at Mare Forum 2000, Athens, Greece, September 2000).
8. “Navigation in the Singapore Strait Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS),” Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, accessed 17 May 2016.
9. Veranique Ng, “Frequency of Oil Spills Causes Grave Concern,” Business Times, 13 September 1995, 33. (From NewspaperSG)
10. Prevention of the Pollution of the Sea Act, Cap 243, The Statutes of the Republic of Singapore, rev. ed 1999, 1–30. (Call no. RSING 348.5957 SIN -[HWE])
11. The Merchant Shipping (Civil Liability and Compensation for Oil Pollution) Act 1998, Act 33 of 1998, Government Gazette. Acts Supplement, 409–43. (Call no. RSING 348.5957 SGGAS)
12. Heah, “Singapore – Pollution Risk Management”; Maritime Port Authority of Singapore, Annual Report 2015, 3, 20.
13. Heah, “Singapore – Pollution Risk Management”; Maritime Port Authority of Singapore, Annual Report 2015, 3, 20.
14. “Downward Trend in Tanker Spills Continues,” The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited, accessed 17 May 2016
15. R Chandran and G. N. Kutty, “Under Control!” Straits Times, 27 June 1972, 1; R. Chandran, “Oil Toil Crews Winning Battle of the Beaches,” Straits Times, 30 June 1972, 26. (From NewspaperSG)
16. Jacob Daniel, “Tugs Battle Oil Slick,” Straits Times, 7 January 1975, 1. (From NewspaperSG)
17. Jacob Daniel, “Slicks Are Kept Off Beaches,” Straits Times, 10 January 1975, 1. (From NewspaperSG)
18. Ginnie Teo, “Big Oil Spill Clean-Up After Tankers Collide,” Straits Times, 17 October 1997, 1. (From NewspaperSG)
19. “Help for Oil-Hit Fish Farms To Lodge Claims,” Straits Times, 16 July 1987, 15; “Fish Farmers Claiming $1M for Damage Caused by Oil Spill,” Straits Times, 20 October 1987, 12. (From NewspaperSG)
20. Suresh Nair and Doreen Siow, “Quick Action Saves East and West Coasts from Worse Pollution,” Straits Times, 25 July 1987, 15. (From NewspaperSG)
21. L. E. Prema and Maureen Chua, “Oil Spills Pose a Big Challenge,” Straits Times, 9 October 1987, 16. (From NewspaperSG)
22. Teo, “Big Oil Spill Clean-Up After Tankers Collide.” 
23. Dominic Nathan, “Sentosa Activities Hit Badly by Oil Spill,” Straits Times, 23 August 1996, 40. (From NewspaperSG)
24. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, “Dispatch of Japan Disaster Relief Team for Oil Spill Incident in the Singapore Straits,” press release, 17 October 1997.
25. Chua Lian Ho, “The Asia-Pacific Maritime Safety Agencies Forum,” speech, 16 September 1998, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, 2.
26. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, “Dispatch of Japan Disaster Relief Team for Oil Spill Incident in the Singapore Straits.”
27. Geraldine Yeo and Ginnie Teo, “The Big Spill,” Straits Times, 18 October 1997, 1. (From NewspaperSG)
28. Jasbir Singh, “Big Clean-Up at Pulau Sudong To Clear Beach,” Straits Times, 20 October 1997, 25. (From NewspaperSG)
29. Karamjit Kaur, “Oil Spills After Tanker Runs Aground,” Straits Times, 4 October 2000, 39. (From NewspaperSG)
30. Karamjit Kaur and Debbie Goh, “Clean-Up As Oil Hits Sentosa’s Three Beaches,” Straits Times, 7 October 2000, 4. (From NewspaperSG)
31. Sujin Thomas and Amresh Gunasingham, A. “Oil Spill Off Changi Coast,” Straits Times, 26 May 2010, 1. (From NewspaperSG)
32. Ng Weng Hoong, Singapore, the Energy Economy: From the First Refinery to the End of Cheap Oil, 1960–2010 (New York: Routledge, 2012) (Call no. RSING 338.27282095957 NG); Liew HanQing and Grace Chua, “Rain Could Hamper Oil Spill Clean-Up,” Straits Times, 28 May 2010, 1; Grace Chua, “Oil Spill Hits Chek Jawa, Changi Beach,” Straits Times, 29 May 2010, 4. (From NewspaperSG)
33. Jermyn Chow, “Kusu and St John’s Beaches Cleaned Up,” Straits Times, 2 March 2014, 16. (From NewspaperSG)



The information in this article is valid as at August 2021 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.