Dredging right next to Cyrene Reef until Jun 2011

24/7 dredging will take place very close to Terumbu Pandan, which we call Cyrene Reef. This is in addition to the ongoing massive reclamation for the new Pasir Panjang Container Terminal.

Dredging near Cyrene Reef started last year. This year, the dredging is very close to the reef.
Dredging stirs up sediments and makes the water murky. Why does this matter?

Cyrene has amazing seagrass meadows and coral reefs. Seagrasses, like other plants, need sunlight. Murky water is like haze. It reduces the level of light that reaches the seagrasses through the water, and mucks up the leave blades. Recently, seagrasses at Cyrene Reef have already shown signs of ill health.

Seagrass meadows on Cyrene, on the horizon,
massive reclamation at Pasir Panjang Container Terminal.

Do corals need sunlight? Yes, they do! Reef-building hard corals need sunlight because they harbour microscopic, single-celled algae (called zooxanthellae) inside their bodies. The algae undergo photosynthesis to produce food from sunlight. The food produced is shared with the coral polyp, which in return provides the algae with shelter and minerals. It is believed this additional source of nutrients from the zooxanthellae help hard corals produce their hard skeletons and thus expand the size of the colony faster. Thus clear waters that let sunlight through for photosynthesis is important for healthy reef growth.

Healthy corals are better able to cope with other threats, such as the recent spell of coral bleaching.

More about the impact of dredging and sand mining, about hard corals on the wild fact sheets, and what is sedimentation and why does it matter?

More about Cyrene Reef.

Dredging works off Pasir Panjang Terminal and Cyrene Reefs
from Port Marine Notice No. 34 of 2011 dated 28 Mar 11

This is a revision of Port Marine Notice No. 162 of 2010. The working area and the working period have been revised.

With effect from 04 Apr 11 to 03 Jun 11. At East Jurong Channel, Pasir Panjang Terminal and its vicinity (see attached chartlet):

Area “A”: 0700 to 1900 hours daily including Sundays and Public Holidays.
Area “B”, “C” and “D”: 24 hours daily including Sundays and Public Holidays.

Dredging works will be carried out by the dredgers, “Pandora” and “Travos” which will be held in position by 4-point anchor mooring system. There will be circular safety working zone of 70-metres radius centred at the dredger. Dredged materials will be transported to the designated dumping ground by the hopper barges assisted by pusher tugs. Only one dredger, hopper barge and two tugs will be working at any one time. During the operation, the dredger and hopper barge will be attended by tug boats. The tug boats will be used to shift the dredger and hopper barges, when required to clear the fairway for vessels to berth or unberth. Safety boats will be deployed in the vicinity of the working areas to warn other craft to keep clear of the working areas. Further general enquiries relating to the project can be directed to Mr Emir Himzari, the project manager at Tel 9125 5998 (email: lemir@eastmarine.com.sg).