Agencies and companies from Singapore and Malaysia conduct a chemical spill exercise at Tuas Second Link.
A mock chemical spill was carried out on Tuesday to test the readiness of Singapore and Malaysia’s emergency response plans. Twenty-four agencies and companies were involved in the exercise.
SINGAPORE: A mock chemical spill was carried out on Tuesday to test the readiness of Singapore and Malaysia’s emergency response plans.
The exercise was organised by Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) and Johor’s Department of Environment.
Twenty-four agencies and companies from both Singapore and Malaysia were involved in the emergency exercise which simulated the aftermath of a collision involving two cargo trucks carrying drums of hydrochloric acid.
During the exercise, both the Singapore Civil Defence Force and BOMBA, Malaysia’s fire and rescue department, worked together to contain the spillage and rescue casualties.
Vessels from Singapore’s Maritime Port Authority (MPA) also monitored if there was spillage into the Straits of Johor, while helicopters from a Malaysian highway maintenance company flew overhead to survey the crash site.
The spill was contained within 90 minutes, and NEA conducted final checks to ensure the area was free of hazardous materials. Officials from both countries deemed the exercise a success.
Every year, about 110,000 tonnes of hazardous chemicals are transported between Malaysia and Singapore via the Second Link.
No accident has occurred so far, but a simulated exercise continues to be conducted once every few years to test the readiness of emergency response agencies.
Tuesday’s exercise is the ninth conducted since 2000.
NEA CEO Ronnie Tay said: “This is a multi-agency exercise, obviously, because dealing with an incident of this nature we need to combine the capabilities of various agencies. I think the challenge is being able to coordinate well with one another, notifying one another expeditiously and on time.”
Director-General of Malaysia’s Department of Environment, Halimah Hassan, said: “There are continuous improvements, and most importantly, we do it every 2 years, alternating between Malaysia and Singapore. As you know, personnel do change, so we have to be current and relevant, and that’s why we have to continue doing it.”
– CNA/xq/ir
via Singapore, Malaysia conduct emergency chemical spill drill – Channel NewsAsia.
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