The source told FMT that the spill could have been contained earlier if authorities had acted fast.
“The Marine Department, who is in charge in cases of oil spills and other marine pollution in Malaysian waters, was not quick enough to come out with a contingency plan.
“It is regrettable that the spillage had reached Tier 2 level by the time a clean-up took place,” the source said.
Tier 2 level is a medium oil spill over a larger area, as defined by the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIEC). Tier 1 is a small local spill, while Tier 3 is a large spill that can cause major damage to the environment.
The spill had spread to a 77 sq km area in the North Channel straddling the island and mainland Penang on Saturday afternoon.
Among affected areas were the Swettenham Pier, Weld Quay, Esplanade (near Fort Cornwallis), North Beach area (Eastern and Oriental Hotel), and Gurney Drive.
Following a coordinated effort by oil companies and marine authorities, most of the oil spill was cleared by 3pm on Saturday.
However, the authorities have continued to work on a larger area on Sunday, spanning from Muka Head, a ridge on the northwest of Penang Island, up to the second bridge in the south.
When contacted, State Environment Committee Chairman Phee Boon Poh said 97% of the oil spill had been removed from the waters as of 7pm. He did not respond to queries on the source of the oil spill.
According to the investigator’s chronology of events revealed by the source, a vessel carrying oil products berthed at the Prai Bulk Cargo Terminal at 10pm on Friday. The vessel then discharged fuel oil through a delivery pipe to an oil company’s installation.
An oil spill was then detected by terminal operator Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB), who then alerted the Marine Department and the Penang Department of Environment (DoE). The vessel’s transfer of oil was halted.
At midnight, DoE officers arrived and took a sample of the oil spill. The officers then went on a reconnaissance mission with PPSB to see the extent of the spill. A 3 metre by 6 metre splotch was first detected not far from the terminal.
The following morning at 8am, the Penang Port Commission (PPC) which is the federal port regulator, PPSB and DoE convened for a meeting. The meeting then heard about the spillage that had by then escalated to Tier 2.
At 9.30am, a disaster operations centre was activated at the PPC’s office in Butterworth.
Since the Marine Department was not around to be in command of operations, the DoE took charge and coordinated a clean-up team.
A team from four oil companies, a bunkering company, PPC, DoE and PPSB were tasked to help facilitate the Tier 2 oil spill clean-up.
The involvement of oil companies is normal practice under international conventions, where resources of oil companies and government regulators are used to help in the clean-up.
Later, a Bombardier surveillance plane from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency ascertained that the spillage had spread 77 square kilometres, island bound.
“The spillage was detected to have travelled to Buoy 7 and the waters off Gurney Drive.
“A boom was then immediately deployed in the waters off Gurney Drive to contain the spill.”