Clean-up Effort, Assessment of Impact and Review of Safeguards following Oil Spill from Accident at Pasir Panjang Terminal

1 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked Minister for Transport (a) whether there will be a review of the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act 1990 and its relevant subsidiary legislation in view of the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal; (b) whether there is an existing framework where the parties responsible for an oil spill, even in an accident, are made to appropriately address the potential negative externalities; and (c) whether the penalties under the Act commensurate with the costs of clean-up and provides a sufficient deterrent.

2 Mr Alex Yam asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether any environmental damage assessment has been done in relation to the maritime accident at Pasir Panjang Terminal on 14 June 2024; (b) what is the estimated cost of clean-up operations thus far; and (c) who will bear the cost of the clean-up operations.

3 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Transport (a) what standard operating procedures are in place, including targeted response times, to contain oil spills; (b) what coordination efforts are in place to promptly tackle both sea and beach clean-ups after oil spills; and (c) what are ways that citizens can be involved in such clean-up efforts.

4 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Transport in addition to using the current buster system, skimmers and containment booms, whether the Maritime and Port Authority has considered the use of hydrophobic sponges to separate oil from water emulsions to increase the efficiency and sustainability of oil spill response operations for the clean-up of the oil spill at the Pasir Panjang Terminal.

5 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the Maritime and Port Authority's (MPA’s) clean-up operations of the recent oil spill at the Pasir Panjang Terminal; and (b) whether there are subsequent plans to remove the remaining small droplets of oil mixed with sea water at low oil concentrations to ensure that the water is environmentally safe for local wildlife after the skimming operation is completed.

6 Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui asked the Minister for Transport with regard to the recent oil spill incident at Pasir Panjang Terminal, what are the estimated (i) environmental costs (ii) economic costs and (iii) costs of clean-up, including those arising from the procurement of emergency cleaning services.

7 Ms Hany Soh asked the Minister for Transport with regard to the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal (a) whether the Ministry and other agencies have received any reports from the public on adverse impact to persons and property; (b) if so, what are these reports and how can the public protect themselves and their properties; and (c) whether the agencies which are involved in resolving such issues are coordinated in their operations and responses.

8 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Transport when the recent oil spill at the Pasir Panjang Terminal was first discovered on 14 June 2024 (a) what actions, beyond the spraying of dispersant and deployment of oil booms, were undertaken in the first 24 hours to contain the spill; (b) how does the authorities verify that the containment efforts were successful; (c) how long after the oil spill was discovered before information was communicated to the press; and (d) how will the authorities determine when clean-up efforts are to cease.

9 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Transport whether the Ministry will conduct an after-action review regarding the multi-agency response to the oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal and present it to Parliament at a future date.

10 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport in respect of the oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal, how extensive is the resulting oil pollution damage to our beaches, coastal areas and port and territorial waters estimated to be.

11 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport in respect of the pollution caused by the oil spill at the Pasir Panjang Terminal on 14 June 2024, what is the estimated cost of the clean-up likely to be incurred for our beaches, coastal areas and port and territorial waters including the cost of deployment of vessels, equipment and manpower for all clean-up, containment and other mitigation measures.

12 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Transport regarding the collision between the Vox Maxima and Marine Honour at Pasir Panjang Terminal (a) why did the Maritime Port Authority choose to prioritise oil collection in certain areas before deploying booms to contain the spill; (b) what are the specific natural constrictions and catchment areas identified for containing the oil spill; and (c) whether this strategy resulted in any coastal areas becoming unnecessarily contaminated with oil.

13 Mr Xie Yao Quan asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the planning parameters used in the Ministry's contingency planning for an oil spill in Singapore waters; (b) what assets and methods are required to ensure an effective response; (c) how regularly are these contingency plans exercised; and (d) what learning points from the oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal on 14 June 2024 will the Ministry take to update its plans to respond to a future incident.

14 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Transport regarding the allision between Vox Maxima and Marine Honour (a) what time were booms fully deployed to encircle the vessels; (b) what was the boom formation shape and deployment pattern used; (c) what was the (i) total length of booms deployed (ii) height of the booms’ freeboard and skirt (iii) the significant wave height and (iv) the speed of tidal currents at the time and location of the incident; and (d) whether there were any breaks in the boom deployment.

15 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport (a) how have the various Government agencies coordinated their responses to the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal; (b) whether the whole-of-Government response is coordinated with those of non-governmental organisations; and (c) what additional pre-emptive measures can be taken to guard against the effects of any future oil spills.

16 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the workers involved in the clean-up efforts for the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal have adequate personal safety protection equipment.

17 Ms Poh Li San asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the oil spill from the recent incident at Pasir Panjang Terminal (a) how will the Ministry ensure that the beaches are adequately cleaned to minimise the damage to the affected beaches and marine life; and (b) what preventive measures are being implemented to prevent such accidents in the future.

18 Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what measures have been taken to ensure the safety of cleaning workers who are deployed to clean oil spills; and (b) whether there is an international standard of operating procedures that have been developed or adopted to ensure the safe and effective cleaning of oil spills.

19 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in view of the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal (a) whether the Singapore Food Agency will be conducting random checks on the quality of produce from the fish farms for a defined period to ensure food safety; (b) what other support can be offered to the fish farm businesses in addition to the booms that have been deployed; and (c) whether the local fish supply will be impacted in the short term.

20 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what are the standards for the use of personal protective equipment that companies and entities involved in the recent Pasir Panjang Terminal oil spill clean-up operation are required to meet; and (b) what recourse do workers involved in the clean-up have should they have or suspect to be suffering from ill effects from dermal or inhalation exposure.

21 Mr Xie Yao Quan asked asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) how frequently will the seawater intake at Jurong Island Desalination Plant be tested for oil contamination; and (b) whether there will be an impact on Singapore's water supply in the event that oil is detected.

22 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment with regard to the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal (a) what are the personal protection equipment issued to workers and volunteers who are participating in the clean-up operations; and (b) what is the safety training provided to these workers and volunteers.

23 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for National Development with regard to the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal (a) what is the expected extent of damage to biodiversity-sensitive areas as a result of the low-sulphur fuel leakage; and (b) how can the current buster containment and recovery devices and booms help in managing the oil spill amidst the tidal currents.

24 Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for National Development (a) how has the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal affected the marine protected areas of Sisters’ Islands and other parts of the Southern Islands; and (b) what measures are being taken to minimise the impact of the oil spill on marine life there.

25 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the impact of the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal on Singapore’s marine ecosystem in the short-term and long-term, respectively; and (b) how many wild animals have been rescued from the oil spill.

26 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for National Development (a) what are the current and long-term impact on the local wildlife and animal species in the areas affected by the recent oil spill at Pasir Panjang Terminal, such as the Southern Islands and Labrador Nature Reserve; and (b) what measures can be taken to protect local wildlife against such impact from future oil spills.

27 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the expected biodiversity impact of the recent Pasir Panjang Terminal oil spill on the Sisters' Islands Marine Park; (b) whether the impact of the oil spill will affect plans for the second marine park in the Southern Islands; and (c) if so, what is the anticipated impact.

The Minister for Transport (Mr Chee Hong Tat): Mr Speaker, with your permission, may the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, the Minister for National Development and I answer Question Nos 1 to 27 in the Order Paper in our Ministerial Statements on the Pasir Panjang Terminal Oil Spill Incident on 14 June 2024, which we will deliver later at today's Sitting?

Mr Speaker: Yes, I agree.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: You will all address this in the Ministerial Statement later on. I call on Ms Ng Ling Ling.