PPSB chief operating officer Sasedharan Vasudevan said all operations at the Prai Bulk Cargo Terminal were ordered to stop when the first oil slick was found.
“We alerted the Marine Department and the Department of Environment (DoE) as soon as we found the oil slick.
“The vessel that was berthed at the time was told to stop delivery of fuel,” he said when contacted.
Sasedharan said it was premature to blame the oil spill on a vessel, as the spill must be traced back via its unique signature.
“Detection of oil slick signature has been carried out by the DoE. This way, the department can determine who is the culprit.
“Two samples have been taken, one from the vessel and another from affected waters,” he said.
Sasedharan said PPSB had actively cleared up the oil slicks under the supervision of the Marine Department.
He said deployment of dispersants at “high intensity” areas helped clear up the oil slick almost immediately. (Dispersants are chemicals that break down oil into droplets that mix with water.)
“Thankfully, it did not rain at the time. If it had rained, it would have made our job more tedious. Everything was cleared by 3pm.
“Right after clearing up the slicks, there was thunderstorm in the evening. That helped to clear up smaller oil slicks near the North Beach area close to Farquhar St.”