PORT DICKSON – As authorities continue investigations into the oil spill at Pantai Cermin, Batu 10 near here, more questions are cropping up than answers.
The Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APMM) have conducted investigations on ships harboured at the Kuala Linggi port and those anchored in the straits near the location.
“They have not found any evidence that points to the oil spill. However, APMM will deep dive into the investigations by using satellite tracking to check on activities that took place around the area for the last two days,” said a source.
The source told The Vibes that when there is an oil spill, it is either due to a collision at sea or an engine leak, which would have been reported to the APMM. But in this case, no reports were recorded.
“APMM did not receive any reports for any incidents in the last few days that could have caused this oil spill. Investigations are not going to be easy as the satellite tracking takes time because there were many vessels in and out of the area in the last few days.
“There is a possibility that it could be a leakage from the engine of a ship because there is used oil on the beach,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Environment and Water spokesman Khalil Zaiyany Sumiran said the ministry is waiting for the lab analysis from the Malaysia Institute of Chemistry to pinpoint the cause of the oil spill.
“It will take at least two weeks for the report to be ready. This is the normal procedure because we want the report to be accurate. We will also receive a report on the cleaning process from the Negri Sembilan state government this week,” he told The Vibes.
A Port Dickson Municipal Council (MPPD) spokesman said the cleaning process was supposed to be carried out by a private agency but that arrangement fizzled out due to costs.
“Their fee was almost RM1 million, so instead of hiring them, the state government decided to take over the cleaning and the cost is now between RM50,000 and RM60,000,” he said.
Ten agencies involving 83 personnel have been carrying out cleaning works.
Port Dickson Disaster Management secretariat, in a statement, said the agencies involved were the Police, APMM, the Department of Environment, MPPD and the Public Works Department.
Other agencies were Tenaga Nasional Bhd, the Marine Department, People's Volunteer Corps (Rela), SWM Environment Sdn Bhd, and the Irrigation and Drainage Department.
“The cleaning process is divided into two segments – land and sea. The clean-up works started at 10.30am yesterday,” said the secretariat.
The Pantai Cermin beach will be closed to the public for the next two weeks as authorities have diverted visitors to Pantai Teluk Kemang and the Blue Lagoon beach, both not affected by the oil spill. – The Vibes, October 15, 2020
