SINGAPORE – You can now safely swim and take part in other activities in the waters off East Coast Park and Kusu, St John’s and Lazarus islands.

       The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Telegram on Oct 25 that an advisory against such activities has been lifted.

       It added that there have been no other oil sightings at sea and ashore since Oct 20, when a leak in a Shell pipeline across Pulau Bukom and Bukom Kechil was first reported.

       The leak had started at around 5.30am from a land-based pipeline belonging to the British petrochemical company and was stopped at about 3pm. More than 30 tonnes of “slop” – a mixture of oil and water – had leaked into the sea.

       NEA had on Oct 21 issued the advisory as a precaution, as part of a joint statement by nine government agencies on their response to the leak.

       The authorities also said then that no oil was seen at places such as Sentosa and the Sisters’ Island Marine Park, nor was it detected at the Jurong Island and Marina East desalination plants, which were closest to the leak.

       As a precaution, oil-absorbent booms were deployed around water bodies such as the biodiversity-sensitive coastlines of Sentosa, West Coast Park and East Coast Park.