Debated in Parliament on 9 May 2023.
Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Transport in relation to the illegal practice of "bilge dumping" by tankers, which is the dumping of oily wastewater from the engine room of ships (a) what is the Government's assessment of the impact this has on Singapore; (b) what means are currently used to track the extent of bilge dumping in Singapore waters; and (c) whether Singapore works with authorities in neighbouring countries to track ships carrying out this practice and take enforcement action against them.
Madam, , including the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.
MPA has not detected incidents involving ships deliberately and illegally discharging oil from their engine room in the last five years.
Ms He.
Just a quick follow-up because I understand that there have been reports of this being done in international or maybe Indonesian waters around Singapore. So, I am just wondering whether there are any initiatives or joint actions being taken with our surrounding neighbours to make sure that this is not affecting – because of the transnational nature of these actions, to explain to us whether or not we are doing anything with our neighbours in order to tackle this issue.
Madam, in the event that MPA detects pollution that might have originated from beyond Singapore's port waters, MPA would share information with the relevant authorities in the region for their investigation and enforcement. MPA also has implemented measures to monitor and ensure that ships in our waters are not illegally discharging oily wastewater into Singapore port waters.
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