KOTA TINGGI: There is no immediate threat to marine life following the oil spill, the Johor Department of Environment said today.
Johor DoE director Dr Mohd Famey Yusof said there should also be no concern over seafood consumption.
He said this was because the impact of the oil spill in Johor waters was minimal, following a collision involving two vessels at Singapore's Pasir Panjang Terminal.
He said thorough inspections and tests revealed that there was no contamination of marine life in Johor waters.
"It is totally safe and the affected areas are localised
"We did not detect any deterioration or decline in our air or water quality due to the oil spill or any chemical residues.
"It has also been established that it's safe to consume fish and seafood.
"However, while the clean-up oil spillage operations are ongoing, we advise beachgoers to avoid the affected beaches.
"The exact duration of the clean-up efforts remains uncertain but we are closely monitoring and managing the process," Dr Famey said when contacted today.
He added that the areas in proximity of the oil spill were being closely monitored and it was established that there was no spread of the spillage.
The stretch of marine fuel oil that blanketed Sungai Rengit's coastline has been localised and has not spread further.
Similarly, along the one-kilometre stretch from Pantai Sungai Rengit to Teluk Ramunia, there were patches of oil and oil-covered debris, and it was cleared during the clean-up exercise launched at 9am today.
He said DoE's Singapore counterparts had acted swiftly to mitigate the spillage.
However, due to strong winds and rough sea conditions, the oil spillage had drifted into Johor waters, he added.
The oil spill contingency plan headed by DoE also saw the involvement of
representatives from the Johor Southern Region Marine Department, Johor Port Authority, Kota Tinggi District Office, Pengerang Municipal Council, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Marine police, Navy, Civil Defence Force, Dialog Terminals Pengerang Sdn Bhd and Petronas Pengerang.
They were deployed to the scene to monitor the oil spill along the Pengerang coastline and its surrounding waters
Earlier today, Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the UK-based insurer British Marine would compensate Malaysian authorities for the ongoing clean-up.
On June 14, a ship collision occurred between a Netherlands-registered dredging boat Vox Maxima and bunker vessel Marine Honour at the Pasir Panjang Terminal, causing 400 tonnes of marine fuel to leak into the sea.
