Demonstration of Chemical Spill Preparedness during Singapore Maritime Week 2013

The International Chemical and Oil Pollution Conference and Exhibition 2013 (ICOPCE), which is part of the 8th Singapore Maritime Week (SMW), on Friday April 12th, concluded a chemical spill exercise.

This full deployment, multi-agency exercise was organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to demonstrate Singapore’s readiness to respond to a major chemical spill in its waters. Codenamed “CHEMSPILL 2013″, this exercise aimed to test and validate the Chemical Contingency Plan (Marine) for combating major chemical spills in Singapore waters. It consisted of two aspects – a seaward equipment deployment demonstration at Raffles Reserved Anchorage and a table-top exercise at MPA’s Port Operations Control Centre at PSA Vista (POCC-Vista).

“Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore are also among the busiest and most important waterways in the world. Hence, it is critical for us to be operationally-ready in the event of any major spills. This exercise allowed us to test multi-agency responsiveness in terms of personnel and equipment mobilisation. It also tested the strategic decision-making process and the interconnected roles of the various agencies and industry players,” said Capt M Segar, MPA’s Assistant Chief Executive (Operations).

Exercise scenario

The exercise scenario involved a Chemical tanker, MT Chemical Carrier, loaded with 3,000 tonnes of styrene monomer and other chemical cargo being hit by a bunker barge at Jong Fairway, near Sisters Buoy, while on its way to Pulau Sebarok. MT Chemical Carrier suffered damage to its cargo tanks and spilled 500 tonnes of styrene monomer. The bunker barge suffered slight damage. Two crew members of MT Chemical Carrier who were working on the deck fell upon the impact of the collision. One of them was seriously injured and required immediate medical attention and evacuation.

Seaward equipment and manpower deployment demonstration

The spill response teams deployed primary and secondary booms to contain the spilled chemical from the damaged tank and treated it with foam. Singapore Civil Defence Force’s Marine Command also deployed their personnel onboard the tanker to rescue and evacuate the two injured crew.

CHEMSPILL 2013 successfully demonstrated the close cooperation between the various agencies in combating major chemical spills in Singapore waters. More than 10 vessels and 160 personnel from 19 organisations were involved in the exercise.