JOHOR BARU: New oil slick patches were detected in Pulau Che Kamat and Sungai Rengit, in Pengerang, Kota Tinggi.
The new patches were believed to be due to the oil spill from a ship collision in Singapore's Pasir Panjang Terminal on June 17, which drifted into Malaysian waters due to rough sea conditions.
Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said oil patches could have drifted into Pulau Che Kamat and Sungai Rengit.
"However, the situation is under control and cleanup operations are underway. There are slight patches but we are not taking any chances," he said, today.
Meanwhile, clean-up operations along the coast from Sungai Rengit to Teluk Ramunia were completed with 43 tonnes of oil-stained debris collected over two phases.
However, as a precautionary measure, the Johor Department of Environment will continue to conduct monitoring operations, particularly in sensitive areas like mangrove swamps.
"The cleanup in the affected areas has been thorough, but ongoing monitoring is essential, especially when we spotted the new oil patches in Pulau Che Kamat and Sungai Rengit.
"Johor waters are rich with marine life and there are several ecologically-sensitive zones, thus extra precautionary measures need to be taken," Ling said after attending a diabetes screening campaign at Recency Specialist Hospital, here.
He also said claims for the water and beach cleanup will be submitted to United Kingdom-based insurer British Marine for compensation purposes.