S’pore and M’sia conduct joint emergency exercise at Tuas Second Link

SINGAPORE — The National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Malaysian Department of Environment (DOE) conducted a joint emergency response exercise to tackle a chemical spill at the Tuas Second Link on Wednesday (Nov 15).

The hour-long exercise simulated an accident scene where hydrochloric acid was leaked onto the road after a car - ferrying four passengers - had collided with a truck carrying drums of the acid.

Within 15 minutes, emergency response teams from Singapore and Malaysia arrived on the scene at Tuas Second Link to assess the situation from a safe distance and demarcate the hazardous areas.

A water curtain was set up next to the site of the chemical spillage to control and manage the spread of fumes in the air while a decontamination facility was also set up from the fire engine to receive casualties.

After the victims were evacuated from the accident site, the responders from Malaysia’s Hazmat and the Singapore Civil Defence Force moved to seal the drums in larger containers and clean up the spillage

The operation ended after both sides checked to ensure the accident scene has been cleaned up and properly decontaminated.

More than 500 personnel from 24 agencies and companies in both countries were involved in the biennial exercise. It is also part of the bilateral cooperation programme under the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment.

About 110,000 tones of hazardous chemicals are transported between Singapore and Malaysia via the Tuas Second Link each year.

There has not been any of such accidents so far, but the exercise ensures that the involved agencies are able to take swift and effective action and ensure the safety of commuters should an accident occur, said both agencies in a joint press release on Wednesday