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Clean-up following January oil spill wraps up; sales suspension on 12 fish farms lifted

SINGAPORE — All the 12 coastal fish farms hit by an oil spill in early January are now able to sell fish, crustaceans and mollusc again, after the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) lifted its suspension order on them.

A box containing oil-soaked sheets at Mr Timothy Ng’s 2Jays Pte Ltd fish farm. Mr Ng said no more than 10kg of fish at his farm had died due to the oil spill on Jan 3, 2017. Photo: Alfred Chua/TODAY

A box containing oil-soaked sheets at Mr Timothy Ng’s 2Jays Pte Ltd fish farm. Mr Ng said no more than 10kg of fish at his farm had died due to the oil spill on Jan 3, 2017. Photo: Alfred Chua/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — All the 12 coastal fish farms hit by an oil spill in early January are now able to sell fish, crustaceans and mollusc again, after the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) lifted its suspension order on them.

In a statement on Wednesday (March 15), the AVA said that the farms along the East Johor Strait have completed cleanup operations, and it had worked closely with the farmers since the oil spill to ensure the food safety of the “farmed aquaculture”.
 
“Fish, crustaceans and molluscs available in our market are safe for consumption,” the authority said, adding that it regularly assessed the status of the oil spill at the farms and took samples of sea creatures from them for food-safety tests, including those not directly affected by the oil spill. 

The samples undergo a combination of sensory and chemical analyses to determine if they are safe for consumption, the AVA said. 

The sensory analysis determines if the sample is tainted with petroleum, while the chemical analysis determines if the sample is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons — a group of chemicals that can be found in crude or industry oil. 

Mr Raymond Sng, owner of Tiberias Harvest Farm, one of those affected by the oil spill, said that he had been “very concerned” when the AVA suspended fish sales. While he supported the suspension order as a safety measure, he said that “a prolonged interruption in supply would badly affect restaurant customers and online consumers”.

“The AVA acted on our feedback and was able to help a number of farms, including ours, continue with sales earlier. This was based on the food-safety tests on our products, the extent of the oil spill impact and cleanup on our farm,” he said. “We are grateful for the AVA’s responsiveness to farmers’ feedback and needs, and also for the guidance and materials provided for protection and cleanup measures.”

The oil spill on Jan 3 was caused by a collision between two container vessels off Pasir Gudang port in Johor. Some 300 tonnes of oil gushed into the waters off Singapore, causing fish deaths and sparking a series of measures to protect nearby mangroves and reservoirs from contamination.

Oil-absorbent pads and canvas were given to 25 farmers near the oil-spill site to help protect their fish stock, and some farms reported that about 250kg of fish died.

The cleanup operations also took place at various places such as the Changi Point Ferry Terminal, while a stretch of Changi Beach was closed.

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