Singapore Gas Pipelines Unaffected By The Recently Grounded Oil Tanker Young Yong
Pipelines conveying natural gas to Singapore from Indonesia have been unimpacted by an oil tanker grounded close by, mentioned the Energy Market Authority.
A Djibouti-registered tanker named Young Yong reportedly ran aground off Indonesia’s Takong Kecil in Riau Islands based in the Singapore Strait, at 8.20 pm on 26 Oct, per a statement published by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore on Monday.
The grounded tanker lies in the vicinity of subsea pipelines that reportedly convey natural gas from West Natuna and South Sumatra, Indonesia, to Singapore for power generation and industrial use, said the EMA in its statement on Thursday.
The pipelines are rock-armoured to provide additional protection. Thus far, gas pressure and supply from the channels have stayed normal.
The agency mentioned that it was monitoring the situation and was also prepared to activate the contingency plans to lower the disruptions of electric supply in Singapore. Per Reuters, the tanker has approximately 2 million barrels of crude oil capacity and is nearly complete.
On Monday, the MPA said that before the vessel’s grounding, its Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) reportedly had issued shallow water warnings, stating the potential risks.
As the tanker is grounded in Indonesia’s waters, relevant Indonesian authorities are spearheading the floatation efforts for the sea vessel along with preventive measures against potential oil spills, mentioned the MPA.
It added that as of Monday, navigation in the Singapore Strait remained unimpacted, and there were no reports of any injuries or oil pollution. MPA’s patrol crafts are supervising oil spill pollution in the Singapore Port Limits, explained the authority.
References: CNA, The Local Report
