Beach near National Sailing Centre reopens for water sports
The East Coast Park beach section near the National Sailing Centre reopened on July 29, more than a month after it was closed for cleanup following an oil spill on June 14.
The reopened section, Area G, has completed its cleaning, and non-primary contact water sports, such as kayaking, can resume, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a Facebook post on July 29.
“While it is safe to use the beach, the public is advised not to swim or undertake primary contact water sports such as wakeboarding and stand-up paddling in the beach waters,” it said, adding that it will continue to monitor the water quality.
“Only when the water quality returns to normal and is stable can water activities fully resume.”
In a separate Facebook post on July 29, the National Parks Board said the rest of the beachfront at East Coast Park remains closed until further notice.
“All other areas at East Coast Park remain open, including food and beverage outlets,” it added.
On July 22, NEA announced that beachgoers can visit Areas B and E of East Coast Park. These areas had been cordoned off for cleanup operations because of the oil spill.
NEA added that the bulk oil at East Coast Park’s land and sea areas has so far been successfully removed.
On June 14, at around 2.20pm, Netherlands-flagged dredging boat Vox Maxima hit Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour, which was stationary, resulting in 400 tonnes of oil spilling.
The damaged cargo tank on Marine Honour – which was next to a container vessel berthed at Pasir Panjang Terminal – leaked oil into the sea.
Owing to the tidal current, the oil landed along shorelines, including those of Sentosa, Labrador Nature Reserve, the Southern Islands, Marina South Pier and East Coast Park.
The oil also spread to the waters off Malaysia’s southern coast, where about 1km of the shoreline in Pengerang in Johor state was affected.
Traces of oil were also found on the beaches at Sungai Rengit, a coastal town in Johor, and the nearby Teluk Ramunia. On July 1, Johor’s Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the cleanup at the two locations was nearly completed.
Cleanup work also began at a nearby island in Johor, Pulau Che Kamat, on July 1 after traces of oil sludge were found.
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