All Sentosa beaches, including Tanjong Beach, reopen following oil spill incident

All beaches at Sentosa have been reopened for swimming and sea activities, just in time for the school holidays.

This includes the Tanjong beach, which was the most affected of the three beaches on that island, said the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) in a media statement on Tuesday (Sept 3).

"The reopening has been carried out in accordance with the relevant national guidelines to ensure that water quality at Tanjong Beach has returned to normal and stable levels through regular monitoring," SDC stated.

They also expressed "heartfelt gratitude" to workers, volunteers, island businesses and partner agencies that have assisted with cleanup and restoration of the beaches.

"Sentosa is excited to welcome all visitors back to the island's three beaches, including Tanjong Beach, for swimming and water activities," the SDC said.

Sentosa was among multiple coastlines in Singapore that were affected following the oil spill on June 14.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu also shared in an announcement on Tuesday that oil spill clean up has been completed ahead of schedule.

"I am happy to share that we have completed our clean-up at public spaces from the effects of the oil spill that happened on Jun 14," she said on Facebook.

She added that 800 cleaning personnel and 2,300 volunteers were involved in the removal of 3,750 tonnes of debris, completing the task ahead of schedule.

"My sincere thanks to all cleaning personnel who have toiled under the sun to clean up the oil spill," Fu said.

"It was tiring work, especially in the early stages where there was a lot of manual labour to be done in scooping and removing the oil-soaked sand."

Some 400 tonnes of oil had been spilled into the seas around Pasir Panjang Terminal after an allision between the Dutch dredging boat Vox Maxima and bunker vessel Marine Honour.

East Coast Park, Labrador Nature Reserve, Keppel Bay, and the Southern Islands were also affected by the spill.

In a Facebook post on Aug 11, NParks announced that all beaches at East Coast Park have reopened after the National Environment Agency (NEA) completed cleaning of beachfronts in the area.

"While it is safe to access the beachfront and engage in non-primary contact water sports, the public is advised against swimming and primary contact water activities such as wakeboarding and stand-up paddling in the beach waters," NParks caveated.

They also thanked volunteers who assisted with clean up efforts.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com