Oiled East Coast shore: seagrasses still there, corals mostly dead

A tiny team do the monthly check on this shore which was not cleaned after it was impacted by the 400tonne Pasir Panjang oil spill on 14 Jun 2024. Today, the tide was low enough to get a glimpse of the corals.

The 'House of Horrors' under the bridge in the canal is still there. 'Oil pancakes' are emerging from the sand and was encountered in soft areas in the canal. Seagrasses are still growing lush, but corals unfortunately are mostly dead.

There is still life on the shore, though as in the past before the oil spill, not a wide variety. In the small sand bar, I saw one Fig snail and many Weasel olive snails. Among the corals, Samuel pointed out Long black sea cucumbers and a Carpet eel-blenny, and egg capsules of a squid. A man was diligently cast netting in the lagoon and he showed us the small fishes he caught - he says they are usually larger.

Updating on life seen on the shore. Thanks to photos and sightings by Isaac Ong and Samuel Loh! There were fishes: halfbeak, emperor fish, carpet eel-blenny. There were lots of little hermit crabs! Also purple climbing crab and moon crab as well as stone crab. Good to know the Arabian cowrie is still there. As well as Giant carpet anemone and Frilly anemones. Sand dollar too and encrusting animals on seagrass. Most of the animals were small though.

Collage of photos by the team.

Today, the tide was low enough for a brief but not totally exposed look at the corals. The last time we saw them was in Aug 2024 when I estimated 90% were dead. In July 2024 we estimated 90% were bleaching or highly stressed, and about 50% already have dying/dead portions. Today, 90% were stone cold dead, I didn't see any that were bleaching or recently dying. Some colonies had a thin layer of live corals at the bottom-most portion, with the bulk of the upper colony dead. But there were a few boulder shaped corals and some Branching pore corals that were totally fine. All plate-forming corals appear to be dead.

One of the nicest patch of seagrasses in Singapore is at the mouth of this canal. Almost all the seagrass species for Singapore can be found here. Today is the first time I'm seeing the seagrasses in some daylight. They are still growing lush at the mouth of the canal. The seagrasses still seemed healthy, leaves long and not cropped. Most seemed fresh and green, I didn't see any bleaching seagrasses and there was no sign of oil anywhere among the seagrasses.

Seagrasses still grow well inside the canal to the bridge. There were still Tape seagrass with long leaves - I saw 3 with male flowers. As in the past, there was lots of Spoon seagrass (large and small leaves); Needle seagrass (broad and narrow leaves). There was also lots of Smooth ribbon seagrass at the mouth of the canal. Across the canal among the corals, I saw some Noodle seagrass and Serrated ribbon seagrass.

There was a very large pile of recently dead Jania red seaweeds washed up into the canal - still red, not yet bleached white. We saw this too during our survey of Jul 2024, though not in such a large amount. But did see many dead broken off Halimeda seaweeds washed up, which we observed since the Jun 2024. There were also small patches of red hairy stuff probably Cyanobacteria growing on seagrasses on the other side of the canal.

Oil under the bridge in the canal is still seen on the walls and bridge legs. Although they no longer glisten. 

But for the first time, I saw long narrow strips of  'oil pancakes' that seem to be emerging from the sand. There was also a thick layer of oil when we stepped into the soft areas in the middle of the canal. And blackish sand still seen on the high shore and inside the canal. But I didn't see any oil slicks or sheen. The trash at the high shore was gone, but there was still a lot on the low shore.

I saw more life on the oiled canal walls than during the last survey in Sep 2024 - probably because today, I had a look after sunset, animals are more active in the dark. Today I saw larger crabs, even a small Blue hermit crab. There were the usual limpets and periwinkle snails, many Drills and many tiny Onch slugs. 

What is the fate of these shores?

These shores lie west of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and are slated for massive reclamation outlined recently in the Long-Term Plan Review.

Technical studies for 'Long Island' 800ha reclamation off the East Coast were recently announced to begin.

Natural regeneration on Singapore's artificial shores and structures is already happening now. Unintentionally, with zero replanting. Can we plan coastal works to allow reefs, mangroves and seagrasses to naturally regenerate? Naturalise canals leading to the sea for a continuum of freshwater wetlands to mangroves? Imagine what's possible! Reefs and natural marine ecosystems at our doorstep, for all in the City to enjoy. More about this idea in my feedback to the Draft Master Plan 2013.

The Singapore Blue Plan 2018

Check out the Sinapore Blue Plan 2018 which outlines community recommendations for all these shores. DOWNLOAD the Plan, SUPPORT the Plan! More on the Singapore Blue Plan 2018 site.

See these and other East Coast shores for yourself!

It's fun and easy to explore these shores. More details in East Coast Park - Surprising intertidal adventures for the family.

Others on this survey: Issac Ong, Samuel Loh