04 January 2017•Update: 05 January 2017
By Kirsten Han
SINGAPORE
Around 300 tons of oil has been spilled in the Straits of Johor after two container vessels collided, authorities in Singapore said Wednesday.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a press statement that they had been alerted by the Johor Port Authority of a collision between the Singapore-registered WAN HAI 301 and Gibraltar-registered APL DENVER off Johor’s Pasir Gudang Port late Tuesday night.
APL DENVER reported that one of her bunker tanks had been damaged, causing about 300 tons of oil spillage.
Patches of oil were spotted in Singapore’s waters, off the western coast of the northern island of Pulau Ubin.
“[The Johor Port Authority] has deployed four anti-pollution craft on site and an oil boom around APL DENVER to contain the oil spill,” said the Singaporean port authority.
The statement added that the authority has "activated a total of eight anti-pollution craft with dispersant spraying capabilities to clean up the spilled oil”.
As the flag state of one of the vessels, the authorities will also be conducting an investigation into the collision.
With its deep waters, the Straits of Johor has long been used as a shipping lane.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said there have been no reports of injury from the collision, and traffic in the East Johor Straits, along with operations at the Singapore port, have been unaffected by the incident.
