Time delay in raising alert about Bukom oil leak under investigation

There was a 7½-hour gap from discovery of the leak to Shell informing the authorities

- Esther Loi

There was a 7½-hour gap between the discovery of an oil leak and the authorities being alerted to the incident, and this delay is under investigation, said Minister of State for Transport Murali Pillai in Parliament on Nov 11.

About 30 to 40 tonnes of oil and water leaked into the waters between Bukom Island and Bukom Kecil from a land-based pipeline, starting from around 5.30am on Oct 20. British petrochemical company Shell notified the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) at about 1pm on the same day. Clean-up operations were completed on Oct 29.

Responding to questions on recent oil spills in Singapore's waters, Mr Murali added that according to standard protocol, Shell was supposed to inform MPA and the National Environment Agency (NEA) as soon as possible when it detected the leak.

"If there are lapses by Shell, the agencies will take the necessary enforcement actions against the company," he said.

In an answer to frequently asked questions on the oil spill, which was posted on its website, Shell said the oil leak was initially contained on land, but it informed MPA "as soon as practicable" when it detected oil leaking into the sea.

Shell told The Straits Times on Nov 11 that it will continue to cooperate and work closely with the authorities on the matter. "We are fully committed to maintaining the rigorous safety standards and compliance with regulatory requirements," its spokesperson added.