Joint oil spill exercise tests inter-agency response and cooperation amidst COVID-19 pandemic

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) held a joint oil spill exercise at Raffles Anchorage this morning to test inter-agency coordination and response to oil spill incidents in the Port of Singapore.

During this year’s exercise, participating agencies including the Police Coast Guard and the Singapore Civil Defence Force, implemented a contingency response plan that incorporated COVID-19 precautionary measures. The exercise was supported by ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Oil Spill Response Ltd and Singapore Salvage Engineers Pte Ltd.

The exercise scenario involved a collision between two oil tankers that resulted in the rupture of two cargo oil tanks onboard the tankers. In the scenario, about 10,000 metric tonnes of medium crude oil spilled into the sea.

MPA’s next-generation patrol craft demonstrated their enhanced emergency response capabilities through the use of oil containment booms and the oil dispersant spray system. In addition, the spill response teams deployed a drone from the next-generation patrol craft to gather aerial footage as part of onsite incident management.

Gracing the occasion, Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “Our port and shipping sectors play a critical role in keeping global supply chains going, and enabling Singapore to bring in essential goods and send our exports to the world.  It is therefore important for our agencies and industry partners to remain vigilant and respond to incidents in a well-coordinated manner. This is why we hold regular exercises to test our readiness and identify areas for further improvement. These are also opportunities to test new technologies and capabilities, such as the new MPA patrol craft which we launched last month.”

About the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was established on 2 February 1996, with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre (IMC), and to advance and safeguard Singapore's strategic maritime interests. MPA is the driving force behind Singapore's port and maritime development, taking on the roles of Port Authority, Port Regulator, Port Planner, IMC Champion, and National Maritime Representative. MPA partners the industry and other agencies to enhance safety, security and environmental protection in our port waters, facilitate port operations and growth, expand the cluster of maritime ancillary services, and promote maritime R&D and manpower development.