Signs of recovery from 2024 Pasir Panjang Oil Spill

Studies suggest there is recovery on shores affected by the 2024 Pasir Panjang Oil Spill.

One of the studies involved 100 citizen scientists, who collected samples from 10 sites including Pasir Ris Beach, Changi Beach, Lazarus Island and St John’s Island for a year. These studies are expected to be completed by end-2026.

Recovery at coral garden at East Coast Park

Thanks to Lon, Rui Quan and Dylan for surveying the amazing coral garden that has settled on artificial shores at East Coast Park. 

Photo by Lon Voon Ong.

In 2024, this shore was impacted by mass coral bleaching, the 400tonne Pasir Panjang oil spill and the 5tonne Changi East oil overspill. Oil that landed on this shore was not cleaned as thoroughly because it is not a recreational beach. It's a relief to know the corals and seagrasses here seem to have recovered well in such a short time.

Collision between Batam ferry and chemical tanker (10 Nov 2025)

The Straits Times reported a collision between a Batam ferry and a chemical tanker 'in Singapore waters'. No details on exactly where in Singapore waters. But examining the past tracks from Marine Traffic, of the routes taken by the chemical tanker LA Digue and ferry Horizon 9.

Overlapping their tracks, the likely collision area likely to be quite close to our southern islands.

Update via MPA media release 11 Nov: The collision occurred off the Southern Islands on 10 November at about 5pm.

An MPA patrol craft was immediately deployed to escort and guide the ferry back to HarbourFront Centre. The ferry sustained some damage to its bow above the waterline but remained fully operational while en route back to Harbourfront Centre. The tanker, La Digue, did not report any damage. There were no reports of injury to passengers and crew, or pollution arising from the incident. 

Oil-eating bacteria as a response to oil spills

The team found that areas more highly impacted by the Pasir Panjang oil spill had a greater diversity of oil-eating bacteria. The oil-degrading microbes were also observed to persist six months later, even after oil in the spill samples had been broken down. 

Pasir Panjang Oil Spill impact
on East Coast Park seagrass meadows, Jun 2024

“Our study showed that in areas that are difficult to access for clean-up operations after an oil spill, nature can lend a helping hand and do the job for us given sufficient time.”

Dispersants only “sink” the oil without chemically degrading it, potentially giving rise to deposits on the seafloor that take a long time to break down. Thus, while dispersants swiftly remove oil from the ocean’s surface, they could inadvertently harm the environment.

The team are tapping their findings to engineer solutions for future coastal pollution events. From developing a microbial cocktail to clean up contaminated sand to advocating the inclusion of structures that facilitate the growth of biofilms in coastal protection.

Recovering East Coast shore with youth advocates

An entirely artificial shore at East Coast Park has one of the best seagrass meadows on the mainland and an amazing variety of corals. The regular volunteers are delighted to share it with the amazing advocates from Lepak In SG and Singapore Youth Voices for Biodiversity this morning.

For the first time we come on a rare super low tide in daylight! So we are able take a closer look at the corals that are growing in the 'corner' of the long seawall that forms the lagoon opposite the canal at the PCN. We arrive at sunrise!

Oiled East Coast shore: Corals recovering!

A small team surveys the lagoon on the other side of Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal next to the East Coast PCN. This shore was clearly impacted by 2024 mass coral bleaching that affected all our shores, plus the 400tonne Pasir Panjang oil spill on 14 Jun 2024. It was also probably impacted by the 5tonne Changi East oil overspill 28 Oct 2024. 

Today, it was a relief to see much signs of corals recovering on the shore. Seagrasses continue to do well. We also checked out the shore opposite NSRCC briefly and encounter a very friendly otter!

Update: On the same day, Adriane Lee also checked up on Changi Carpark 6. He shares: Changi carpark 6 has been traditionally an area rich in biodiversity. Based on records of past visits dating back to 2021, today’s visit saw a drop in what are normally common. Missing Sea stars, warty sea cucumbers etc, and even the Hardon anemones are smaller in size than usual. Wonder what is the reason for this change?

Container barge grounded on Tg Beach, Sentosa 6 Jun 2025

A container barge ran aground off Sentosa’s Tanjong Beach, damaging the floating security barriers (blue drums). It was later towed away. The recreational beach remained open. 

Sentosa Development Corporation had said there were no oil sightings at the beaches, and deployed oil-absorbent and deflective booms around Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso beaches to safeguard the shores and marine environment.

According to the Straits Times, Sentosa Development Corporation and National Parks Board said there is “some marine biodiversity” in the area. They will assess the environmental impact of the incident once tidal conditions allow them to do so. Dr Jani Tanzil, facility director at St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory, said some coral communities and seagrass were likely to have regenerated where the barge was grounded.

Oil on Changi with stressed anemones

A tiny team surveys Changi Carpark 7 at a super low tide. About 2 months ago, Changi and other shores in the East Johor Straits were impacted by an oil leak from Langsat, Johor. 

Today, we saw puddles of oil on the high shore. The shore was also eeriely quiet, with no sea stars, and some stressed carpet anemones. But seagrasses were doing well, horse mussels seem gone and I saw what looks like dugong feeding trails. Meanwhile, some of the team checked out the Changi shore at the mouth of Changi Creek and saw more of what we normally see at Changi - sea stars, sea cucumbers. And no signs of oil spill.

Majority of Singapore’s corals have recovered from 2024 Mass Coral Bleaching

Peak bleaching was in July 2024, with about 44 per cent of coral colonies surveyed reported to have been bleached, according to Associate Professor Huang Danwei, deputy head of Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. Extensive bleaching was observed at Pulau Hantu, Pulau Satumu, Kusu Island and Sisters’ Islands, according to Coral scientist Jani Tanzil, the facility director at St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory (SJINML).

Mass Coral Bleaching at Kusu Island, Jun 2024

“Most bleached corals that survived the marine heatwave seem to also have recovered by November 2024, with its rate of recovery similar to previous bleaching events – at least for the corals we’ve been monitoring, which are mostly at Kusu Island,” added Dr Tanzil.

On whether the series of oil spills and leaks since June 2024 have affected the recovery of coral reefs around Singapore from the bleaching incident, Dr Tanzil said that the corals have likely “escaped the immediate brunt of it”. However, long-term impacts are still inconclusive.

“(The oil spills) largely occurred not during low tides when corals would be exposed in the splash zone and to the floating oil layer. Speedy clean-up efforts have also mitigated impacts,” she said.

East Johor Straits oil patch from Langsat Terminal, Johor (3 Apr 2025)

An oil patch was sighted in the eastern Johor Strait off the northeastern coast of Pulau Ubin on 3 Apr 2025 at around 7pm. Johor Port Authority confirmed an oil spill incident within Langsat Terminal, located near the mouth of the Johor River.

The Malaysian Environment department said low sulfur fuel oil was being transferred to a vessel at the Tanjung Langsat Port Terminal’s jetty when the leak occurred. Approximately 1.6m³ of oil spilled into the sea". From Free Malaysia Today 04 Apr 2025, 05:57 PM

For the latest updates, visit https://go.gov.sg/nparksnoticeboard

For daily updates on facebook, see this album on wildsingapore FB

Neptune coastal monitoring system upgraded

The current Neptune system monitors Singapore waters so authorities can respond quickly to incidents such as oil spills and algae blooms (which cause mass fish death). Upgraded sensors will monitor significant wave parameters to support studies on the impact of climate change, said NEA.

Data from the upgraded system will complement the Marine Environment Sensing Network (MESN) said Dr Jani Tanzil, facility director of St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory (SJINML). MESN provides data that in 2024 alerted researchers to mass coral bleaching.

Repeated oil spills compromise marine life

Straits Times article reviewing the impact of repeated oil spills since the 400tonne Pasir Panjang oil spill in Jun 2024.

Oil from Jun 2024 Pasir Panjang spill
washed up on seagrass meadows at East Coast Park.

"The marine environment might recover after each oil spill incident, but too many of such events would compromise its ability to do so, said marine scientists. In response to ST’s queries, the National Parks Board (NParks) said it is aware of the negative impact spills can have on biodiversity and is closely monitoring the current situation. ST has contacted the police and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore for more information."

Full article below the fold

23 tonne diesel leak opposite Sentosa Serapong (5 Feb 2025)

On 5 Feb, 23 tonnes of oil had leaked from a damaged shore fuel hose used to refuel patrol craft at the PCG Base on Pulau Brani. While authorities said “there were no oil slicks observed”, but an oily sheen could be seen in some areas. One outrigger paddler said he saw patches of oil off the entire south-western coast of Sentosa, from Tanjong Rimau to Tanjong Beach, on Feb 6 morning. 

From our survey in Jul 2022.

One of the best reefs nearer the mainland is found on the undisturbed shore off Serapong Golf Course at Sentosa - which is directly opposite and about 200m from the PCG Base at Pulau Brani.

Update: All fuel pipes at Brani Regional Base were inspected on Feb 6. Fuel pipes at the other three bases – at Loyang, Lim Chu Kang and Gul – are also being checked, with inspections expected to be completed on Feb 10.

'A few tonnes' oil leak at Pulau Bukom on 27 Dec 2024

"A few tonnes of the refined oil products were leaked" from Pulau Bukom's refinery. 

Shell has laid containment and absorbent booms and sprayed dispersants. No oil patches are currently observed in the vicinity of Pulau Bukom. MPA and Shell have deployed cleaning boats to clean up light oil sheens observed off Bukom Island, using both dispersants and absorbent booms.

The agencies are closely monitoring the situation, and have deployed satellites and drones for surveillance.

“As a precaution, oil absorbent booms will be laid at Sisters’ Islands Marine Park and at the beaches on Sentosa,” they added.

Oiled East Coast Park (Sailing Centre): life remains

A small team surveyed East Coast Park (Sailing Centre) to check for impact from the 400tonne Pasir Panjang oil spill on 14 Jun 2024. This shore was cleaned of that oil spill. It was also probably impacted by the recent 5tonne Changi East oil overspill 28 Oct 2024.

The tide was not super low but low enough that we could see the seagrasses seemed well. The team found many animals commonly seen here. Hopefully, this means life is returning.

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. It was also probably impacted by the recent 5 tonnes Changi East oil overspill 28 Oct 2024.

Oil is still present in the canal, seagrasses are still growing lush, corals remain mostly dead. But there are still signs of life everywhere on the shore.

Recent oil spills discussed in Parliament, 11 Nov 2024

Recent oil spills were discussed in Parliament. 

Related blog posts

• Changi overflow oil spill, 28 Oct 2024 - 5 tonnes
• Oil spill from Bukom refinery, 20 Oct 2024  - 30-40 tonnes
• Pasir Panjang Terminal oil spill, 14 Jun 2024 - 400 tonnes

Full media articles follows

5 tonnes of oil spilled at Changi on 28 Oct 2024

About 5 tonnes of oil was reported to have overflowed during bunkering operation at Changi from the receiving Bahamas-flagged Bulk Carrier, INES CORRADO.

Screen shot from reel on Lifein_Sea

The incident was reported to occur at about 5.40pm on 28 October and the bunkering operations ceased immediately. As at 8am 29 Oct 2024, MPA reports there is no oil sighted at sea in the vicinity of the incident and ashore.

Oil spill from Bukom refinery, 20 Oct 2024

Oil slick and sheen is seen in surrounding waters due to leakage from a land-based pipeline between Bukom Island and Bukom Kecil which happened early morning 20 Oct 2024. 

Shell stopped the leak at source, placed containment booms off the site of the leak and deployed craft equipped with dispersants to clean up the oil sighted in the vicinity of the leak.

MPA deployed 7 MPA craft to spray dispersants. As at 6pm 20 Oct 2024, no new oil sightings were reported. From media reports as below.

Still quiet at oil slicked East Coast Park (Sailing Centre)

I make a quick survey at East Coast Park (Sailing Centre) to check for impact from the 400tonne Pasir Panjang oil spill on 14 Jun 2024, about three months ago.

Like last month, I didn't see any oil slicks on the shore. The seagrasses are still there, and there is still life on the shore although not much more than last month. Compared to our last survey here before the oil spill in May 2024, there were far fewer animals and many missing animals.