PREVENTION OF POLLUTION OF THE SEA (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

4.04 p.m.

The Senior Minister of State for Communications (Mr Ong Teng Cheong): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The problem of sea pollution, especially by oil, has been a subject of international concern. Over the last few years more and more efforts have been taken by ports and various authorities in different parts of the world to keep the seas and oceans around them clean and free of pollution.

The situation in Singapore is no exception. Situated at a focal point of international shipping, the Port of Singapore last year recorded some 40,426 vessel arrivals and departures giving a total of 205.2 million net registered tons of shipping.

As Singapore is also a major oil refining centre, a large number of oil tankers, some of them Very Large Crude Carriers, discharge crude oil and load refined petroleum products at the various oil terminals in our port. Therefore, the threat of oil pollution in Singapore waters is a constant one.

The Port of Singapore Authority is charged with the responsibility of keeping our waters clean. Legislations such as the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, 1971 and the Civil Liability (Oil Pollution) Act, 1 973 have been drawn up to prevent vessels from indiscriminately polluting our waters with oil and rubbish.

However, legislation in itself does not help the Port of Singapore Authority in a real situation arising out of accident in our port waters. Besides improving the navigability of the sea lanes and the addition of navigational aids, the Port of Singapore Authority has to have available sufficient equipment to combat oil spills and to prevent the oil from polluting our beaches in the event of an accident. To this end, the Port of Singapore Authority has worked tirelessly to acquire anti-pollution equipment and to build anti-oil pollution capabilities into its tugs.

Investment on such specialised equipment is high. It is therefore necessary that organisations actively involved in the refining of petroleum or transport of petroleum should also play an active role by building up their own anti-oil pollution capabilities in Singapore so that they can be called upon at short notice to assist the Port of Singapore Authority in fighting major oil spills.

It is therefore proposed to amend paragraph (b) of section 27(2) of the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act, 1971 to require the owners or operators of oil terminals in Singapore to store such detergents, dispersants and equipment, as are prescribed by regulations, to deal with any pollution of Singapore waters.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill-[Mr Ong Teng Cheong].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.