Over 180 Malaysia fishermen hit by Singapore oil spill; losses estimated at RM480,000
A clean-up of Johor’s coast is ongoing; fishermen say their gear has been damaged and will take time to replace
[KUALA LUMPUR] The recent oil spill in Singapore has hit the livelihoods of more than 180 fishermen in Pengerang in Johor, with estimated losses amounting to around RM480,000 (S$137,960), said Johor’s health and environment committee chairman, Ling Tian Soon.
When contacted by The Business Times, he said the cleaning works are progressing well, and that the appointed contractors, with staff from the state authorities, have managed to remove 30 tonnes of the spill, but small slicks remain visible.
“The overall condition of the waters has improved, and it’s safe for the fishermen to resume their operations,” he added.
But, the fishermen say they are facing additional challenges before they can return to work. Rosli Mohd Ali, who chairs the Sungai Rengit Fishermen’s Welfare Organisation, said the oil spill has irreparably damaged their equipment, such as nets, ropes and buoys.
“We need to purchase new gear before we can resume our operation. It might take days or even weeks for the new equipment to arrive,” he added.
Fishermen in the Pengerang area have stopped work since the seawater became polluted last Thursday (Jun 20). They are facing income losses of around RM250 each day they do not go out to sea.
Following the incident, over 100 fishermen filed police reports against the party responsible for the oil spill.
The English-language daily, New Straits Times, quoted Superintendent Hussin Zamora of the Kota Tinggi district police as having said that the next step involves the Fisheries Department, which will handle the compensation or civil claims against the shipping company responsible for the spill.
Malaysia’s Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, indicated that the cleaning works, which started last Friday, are expected to be completed by Saturday.
On Jun 14, the Dutch ship Vox Maxima collided with the Singaporean oil tanker Marine Honour, rupturing one of the latter’s oil cargo tanks. About 400 tonnes of fuel spilled into the waters.
The incident affected Singapore’s shorelines in Sentosa, Labrador Nature Reserve, the Southern Islands and East Coast Park.
Turbulent waves over several days brought the drifting oil into Malaysian waters, polluting about 1 km of shoreline between Sungai Rengit and Teluk Ramunia.
Ling said Singapore had alerted the Johor government on the potential pollution, which enabled the Malaysian authorities to start the clean-up work promptly.
The insurance company behind the shipping company involved in the incident has been appointed a contractor to carry out the cleaning work; all costs will be borne by the insurance company.
In Putrajaya, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman said that British Marine would engage with the Pengerang Fishermen’s Association and the state’s Fisheries Department on compensation matters.
On Jun 20, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority announced that it would seek compensation from the owner of Marine Honour for the costs incurred in containing and cleaning up the spill.
