LABUAN: The Labuan Department of Environment (DoE) has detained two vessels in connection with oil spill incidents near Labuan Shipyard Engineering (LSE) jetty and Patau-Patau 1 waters, said Labuan Disaster Management Committee chairman Rithuan Ismail.
He said the detention of the vessels was done in accordance with Section 38 (1)(C) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
“I have been briefed by the DoE director on the situation, and at present, investigations are underway at five sampling locations (including fingerprint methods) to determine the extent of the oil spill in the affected area.
“Samples collected are also slated for immediate analysis at the Kota Kinabalu Chemistry Department,” Rithuan said to Bernama today.
He said the findings of this analysis would determine and identify the party responsible for the pollution, and subsequently, bring the case to court.
“It is worth noting that clean-up and containment efforts for the oil spill in the affected area were concluded as of last Friday (Sept 22),” he said.
Rithuan said while much of the oil has naturally decomposed, the DOE is set to issue a Notice of Instruction to LSE to conduct marine water monitoring and sampling to assess the quality of marine water, both immediately after the incident and one week thereafter.
The oil spill, which extended across a 1.5-kilometer area encompassing the waters around LSE jetty, Patau-Patau 1, and Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) jetty, were initially reported to the MMEA on September 21 following a notification from the Labuan Fishermen’s Association. -Bernama