Emergency Response to Pulau Bukom Oil Refinery Fire

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs with regard to the fire at the Shell refinery on Pulau Bukom on 28 September (a) whether the Government had worked with Royal Dutch Shell PLC or its subsidiaries to draw up or approve contingency plans to respond to the risk of various types of fire at Shell's facilities on Pulau Bukom and, if so, how was this undertaken; and (b) what findings have been made on the preparedness of the relevant responders, from both the public and private sector, in dealing with the incident.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Teo Chee Hean): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Royal Dutch Shell refinery at Pulau Bukom (Shell Bukom) is required under the Fire Safety (Petroleum & Flammable Materials) Regulations to put in place appropriate safety measures to address the risks inherent in its operations. One key requirement is to have an Emergency Response Plan, which Shell Bukom is required to update regularly, to deal with various types of incidents, such as spillage, leakage, accidental discharge and fire. This plan is reviewed by the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

Shell Bukom is also required under the terms of its licence to establish and maintain an in-house emergency response team known as the Company Emergency Response Team (CERT). The SCDF conducts annual audits on the CERT to assess its competency. Failure to meet basic standards may result in composition fines or even the revocation or non-renewal of the licence that permits the storage of petroleum and flammable materials.

SCDF has developed and dovetailed its contingency plans with Shell Bukom. These plans are validated through joint exercises at least once a year. In 2011, two major deployment exercises coupled with CERT audits were conducted by SCDF in February and September. These exercises were critical in testing evacuation procedures, transportation of SCDF assets to Pulau Bukom, and their respective command and control systems.

On the preparedness of the responders to the fire at Pulau Bukom, our preliminary assessment indicates that both Shell Bukom and SCDF responded expeditiously and in an organised and well-coordinated manner. This was largely due to the close relationship established between Shell Bukom and SCDF through their regular joint exercises. Shell Bukom's CERT responded according to established protocols practised in its regular training, while SCDF sized and deployed its resources on-site quickly and appropriately.

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In addition, pre-established mutual aid contingency arrangements between Shell Bukom and other petrochemical companies, including those on Jurong Island, were activated in good time to share foam and fire-fighting resources.

Throughout the incident, SCDF worked closely with other public agencies, including the National Environment Agency on environmental pollution control issues, and MINDEF which had offered its Fast Craft Utility and Super Puma Helicopters to support ongoing operations if needed. SCDF also worked with the Singapore Police Force to ensure the smooth evacuation of personnel on the island early on during the emergency. In addition, the Transport and Health Ministries were engaged to look into the impact on nearby shipping traffic and medical response-related matters respectively.

Ms Sylvia Lim: Three supplementary questions for Deputy Prime Minister Teo. The first question is that during the reporting of the incident, SCDF and Shell officials expressed surprise at the nature of the fire, describing it as complex and multi-dimensional. I would like to ask DPM Teo whether this suggests that there could be some gaps or blind spots in the scenario planning, and will more detailed exercises be worked out in the light of the experience of this incident.

Second question: more than 24 hours after the fire broke out, there was a press conference held and at that press conference, even the Shell experts were quoted as unable to say what was feeding the fire at that point in time. So, my question is this. We know that Shell has a strong safety record, but does this indicate that perhaps the complexity of the operation on the island is running somewhat ahead of safety or scenario planning?

Third question is about the interface between Shell and SCDF in the response. There was an interview of SCDF officials reported in The Straits Times of 6 October. They were quoted as saying that when the SCDF first responders arrived at the scene, Shell staff told them to protect two nearby tanks at all costs, without telling them what the tanks contained. My question is, in response to the operation, first of all, who is giving the instructions; and secondly, does this indicate some information gap, despite SCDF's annual audits, and do they really know what the safety response plan of Bukom required?

Mr Teo Chee Hean: Sir, I do not want to comment on what was reported in the media or the press because it may or may not be accurate based on hearsay, but what the Ministry of Home Affairs would be doing is conducting an inquiry into the events, the events that led up to it, whether the safety arrangements were properly followed, then the response, both of Shell and SCDF, and whether those processes were properly followed. And we will also look at whether the design of the safety regulations and requirements is appropriate. When we have completed that inquiry, we would then be in a better position to say what we need to do for the future.

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Mrs Lina Chiam (Non-Constituency Member): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask a supplementary question. How many people are there on Bukom island at any time of the day and are there enough fast boats to evacuate these people in case there is a big fire like an inferno? Have they got time to escape? Are they prepared for this? Are there enough fast boats or helicopters to get them out?

Mr Teo Chee Hean: Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not have the detailed figures of how many people precisely are on Bukom at any particular point in time. It is not the speed of the boats but it is whether they can leave to a safe location. Shell did carry out an evacuation. They have plans for an evacuation and as far as we can tell, that evacuation was conducted smoothly and expeditiously. And to back Shell up, if there is a need to do so, there are other resources available to move people on and off the island, including those from the Ministry of Defence.