SEAToday.com, Singapore - An oil spill caused by a dredger hitting a stationary cargo tanker has blackened part of Singapore’s southern coastline, including the popular resort island of Sentosa.

The spill has sparked concerns it may threaten marine wildlife, as a clean-up operation got underway on Sunday.
the Netherlands-flagged dredger vox maxima, struck the Singaporean fuel supply ship Marine Honor on Friday. it damaged the cargo tank on Marine Honor which later leaked oil into the sea.

Singapore's maritime and port authority said in a statement late Saturday that the oil leak from the vessel had been contained, and that the oil that escaped from the damaged tanker had been treated with dispersants.

But due to the tidal current, it said the treated oil had landed along shorelines. Including at Sentosa and other southern islands, a nature reserve and a public beach park.

Sentosa, which attracts millions of visitors annually, houses one of Singapore’s two casinos, golf courses, and Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studio theme park.

Nevertheless, the Sentosa beach will remain open to the public but sea activities and swimming are prohibited.

On Sunday, workers were seen scooping up sand in a clean-up operation at an empty beach in Sentosa where the black water washed up on the oil-stained shore.

Authorities have deployed 18 crafts for the clean-up efforts and laid close to 1,500 meters of container booms, temporary floating barriers, to trap the oil spill.