Singapore, Malaysia conduct joint chemical spill exercise at sea
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Marine Department of Malaysia (MDM) have conducted a joint chemical spill along the Johor Strait, the MPA said on July 28.
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The exercise aimed to test the Joint Emergency Response Plan (ERP) for chemical spill incidents and the communication linkages between the liaison offices in Malaysia and Singapore.
It simulated a collision between a chemical tanker "MT MAY 2016" departing an oil terminal in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia and a cargo ship "MV JUN 2016" departing an adjacent shipyard, resulting in nearly 30 metric tons spilled.
As the exercise scenario originated from and occurred in the Malaysian waters, MDM led the response efforts with MPA supporting the Malaysian authorities for seaward response operations such as spillage cleanup and search-and-rescue efforts.
Singapore 's National Environment Agency supported the exercise by monitoring the air and water quality for signs of chemical contamination, information exchange with Malaysia's Johor Department of Environment and stood ready to coordinate cleanup efforts along Singapore 's shorelines.
MPA's Chief Executive Andrew Tan noted that regular bilateral exercises are vital to strengthening regional and multi-agency response capabilities as the Johor Strait is a busy waterway.
