On Sunday, the resort said “significant progress has been made” in cleansing up oil spills on Sentosa beaches.
On June 14, an oil spill occurred when a Dutch-flagged dredger struck a stationary bunker vessel, causing oil from the damaged cargo tank to leak into the water.
Following the incident, oil was released along the coast of several beaches in Singapore, including Sentosa Island and East Coast Park.
More than 140,000kg of oil-laden sand has been faraway from Siloso, Palawan and Tanjong beaches since June 15, Sentosa said in a Facebook post on Sunday afternoon.
The coastline of Siloso Beach has “now been largely cleared,” he added.
In a June 20 update, Singapore authorities said the “overwhelming majority” of oil deposits on the beach at East Coast Park had been removed and the beaches at Tanah Merah had been largely cleaned up.
They also said beaches on three Singapore islands – St John’s, Lazarus and Kusu – in addition to the “overwhelming majority” of Siloso Beach on Sentosa island had been cleared of oily sand.
Sentosa staff began removing oil from rock embankments and breakwaters on Friday, the resort said on Sunday, adding that it was a “difficult and time-consuming task.”
“These areas are more difficult to access than the shoreline, have uneven surfaces and oil seeps into the crevices of the boulders,” it said.
Sentosa said it was working with experts to make use of specialized cleansing methods “to thoroughly rinse the oil and take away it from the lagoon.”
Minister of Sustainable Development and Environment Grace Fu said on June 20 that removing oil from rock dams and breakwaters could be a “complex process.”
“Rock dams are not as accessible as beach shorelines and their surface is uneven. Oil that has seeped into the cracks of the boulders must also be thoroughly washed out and the oil from the lagoon must be removed,” she said.
On Sunday, the resort said visitors to restaurants and beach attractions can proceed to make use of beaches on Sentosa Island.
CNA has contacted Sentosa for further information.
