MALAYSIA

A chemical spill in the East Johor Strait is one of the scenarios Singaporean and Malaysian authorities prepared for in a joint exercise conducted on Thursday. Seven vessels and 50 officers from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) were deployed for the exercise. They were joined by the Marine Department of Malaysia (MDM). During the simulation, officers had to react quickly after a chemical tanker and a product tanker collided off Pulau Ubin, spilling about 500 tonnes of benzene, a colourless and highly flammable liquid, into the sea.