Avoid water sports and fishing in Raffles Marina, NEA says after high levels of oil and grease found

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SINGAPORE — Members of Raffles Marina in Tuas should avoid any water sports and fishing in the area for the time being after elevated levels of oil and grease were found there.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday (July 11) in response to The Straits Times' queries that oil and grease found in the waters off Raffles Marina were linked to the run-off from water used to douse an hours-long fire in a chemical storage facility in Tuas last Wednesday.

NEA added that it is investigating if any environmental regulations have been violated, without elaborating on which parties are being probed.

This comes after the agency analysed samples of "pungent brown water" in a canal in Tuas West that leads to the sea near the marina.

Booms were placed in the canal on the day of the fire to prevent the run-off from escaping into the sea, NEA said on Tuesday.

Some dead fish were found after the fire in the sea off Raffles Marina, where the water quality was affected by oil and grease carried by the run-off, the agency added.

NEA said it will continue to monitor the water quality at the canal and marina until it returns to normal.

Some boat owners berthing their watercraft in the marina said they plan to claim for damage caused by the pollution.

Daniel Wong, 53, who is coordinating the claims for six owners so far, estimated that it would cost him $10,000 to repaint the sullied hull of his 36-feet-long boat.

The boat charter operator said: "Almost everything in the marina seemed to have died two days after the fire.

"We had a net of more than 20 fish next to the boat, mainly groupers, that we planned to let go. But all of them died."

An "uncomfortable" chemical smell was still present at the marina on Tuesday — six days after the fire — and black stains remained on the walls of the marina, he added.

Wong has not received any inquiries since the blaze, and has had to bring his existing clients further away from the marina.

He added: "Near the marina there are no fish biting, so we have been taking anglers further out. Usually within the marina we could catch over 10 fish before proceeding to other waters."

Angler Patrick Lim, 43, said he hopes to seek compensation for his livewell — a fish tank in his boat that was connected to the sea — which now reeks of a headache-inducing chemical smell.

Mr Lim, who is among the six boat owners seeking compensation, added: "We're not sure if the chemical staining the livewell will contaminate fish that are put in it, especially after most of the fishes have died in the marina."

Lim, who bought his boat in October 2022, said that the chemicals in the water could reduce the lifespans of the boats' engines and propellers.

Megachem, which runs the chemical storage facility that caught fire, sells and distributes speciality chemicals to companies in the oil and gas, semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries.

A Megachem spokesman said the company is working with all concerned authorities to protect the environment.

"We are committed to maintain the highest standard of environmental protection in all our operations, and the well-being of all stakeholders remains our top priority," she added.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.