Oil spill as two ships collide off JB
An oil spill that occurred off Pasir Gudang Port in Johor on Tuesday has affected three coastal fish farms near Pulau Ubin and left nature enthusiasts concerned about the potential impact on wildlife in the area.
A spokesman for the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) told The Straits Times yesterday that one farm had reported losing between 100kg and 200kg of fish. "We have issued oil absorbent pads and canvas to 11 farmers closest to the oil spill site to help protect their fish stock," added the spokesman.
On Tuesday night, a Singapore-registered container vessel, Wan Hai 301, collided with the APL Denver, a Gibraltar-registered container vessel, off the Johor port. It happened close to midnight and left 300 tonnes of oil spillage in its trail, a result of damage to one of APL Denver's bunker tanks.
Oil patches were also found along the western coastlines of Pulau Ubin (OBS Jetty) and Nenas Channel, said the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
"The two oil patches are mainly contained and no new sighting of oil has been reported," added the MPA.
Coastal fish farmers in the eastern Johor Strait were alerted, said the AVA spokesman. Farmers were advised to stop feeding their fish and use canvas skirting to prevent oil from contaminating fish stock.
Yesterday, remnants of oil could still be seen in the waters off Pulau Ubin. Fish farmers told The Straits Times it had got into their fish nets. As a precaution, fish samples have also been collected from the farms for food safety tests.
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