Oil tanker leak off Singapore 'largely contained'

An oil leak caused by a collision between a tanker and a bulk carrier in waters off Singapore has been largely contained, company officials have said.

Emergency teams, including 15 boats and 120 personnel, had worked to stop the spill after the crash on Tuesday.

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) has said only minimal damage had been caused to coastlines.

An estimated 2,000 tonnes of crude oil spilled into the sea after the collision.

The Malaysian-registered tanker Bunga Kelana 3 was ruptured after contact with the MV Wally in the Strait of Singapore, one of the world's most important shipping lanes.

A statement from petroleum shipper AET said the oil was "more or less contained" and would not spread out of the clean-up zone.

"The incident caused significant damage to the vessel's hull and resulted in a spill of Bintulu light crude oil that is now being cleaned up by specialists using a small armada of boats," the statement said.

"Efforts resumed early this morning, with the addition of more than 100 personnel deployed along the shoreline in case the spill reaches the coast."

Officials from the MPA said patches of oil were seen at Changi Naval Base, but "other than this, the oil slick has not affected Singapore's coastlines".

The authority said that 10,800 ft (3,300m) of containment booms were used to prevent polluting a popular beach and park area on the east coast.

"If they manage to contain it, then it won't affect wildlife that much," said Louis Ng, executive director of activist group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society.

There was no reported effect on shipping traffic in the Strait of Singapore, one of the world's busiest sea lanes, connecting trade routes from Asia to Africa and Europe.