Beach Cleanup Underway After Oil Spill Off Singapore Coast
Beaches on the Singaporean island of Sensota have closed after a dredger collided with a cargo tanker offshore, spreading oil across the marine areas.
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00:00Sentosa is a popular resort island off the coast of Singapore.
00:08Its beaches, now coated in a thick layer of sludge.
00:12On Friday, a dredger boat collided with a stationary cargo tanker.
00:17By Sunday, the nearby beaches were black and closed to visitors.
00:21Honestly, when I was here, I thought, oh, there must be a new event, like, oh, there's
00:26a new black sand beach at Sentosa.
00:29No, apparently it's an oil spill.
00:31I mean, it's evident when you can smell it all over Sentosa, actually.
00:35The island is popular with both tourists and locals, attracting millions of visitors every year.
00:41Despite the closures, people still came for their planned day in the sun, as local officials
00:47coordinated beach cleanups.
00:53Beach cleanup activities had already started in the morning, and we have since been working
00:59very closely with MPA, the Marine, Maritime, Port, and Authorities, and they have activated
01:07the oil spill response team, who will be making a thorough assessment before continuing
01:14with the beach cleanup activities here on Sentosa and Sentosa Cove.
01:20The oil spill has spread to other parts of the islands, and is now threatening a local
01:25marine reserve.
01:27Environmental agencies are working fast to clean up the mess, so visitors can enjoy the
01:32public beaches once again, and so that the local marine life is protected.
01:37Eason Pan and Harrell Hughes for Taiwan Plus.