A year on, Singapore’s worst oil spill sees RM236m in claims, more than RM85m paid out
SINGAPORE, Oct 17 — More than a year after Singapore’s worst oil spill in a decade, hundreds of compensation claims have been lodged with the international body handling payouts, The Straits Times reported.
The International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Funds said it had received 589 claims totalling S$72.5 million (RM236.9 million) following the June 2024 spill off Pasir Panjang Terminal, when the Netherlands-flagged dredger Vox Maxima collided with Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour. The crash caused about 400 tonnes of oil to leak into the sea, fouling beaches at East Coast Park, Sentosa and the Southern Islands.
According to an IOPC Funds report published on September 30, 212 claims worth S$31.5 million have so far been approved, with S$26.9 million paid out through the 1992 Fund, which provides financial compensation for oil pollution damage in member states.
The Singapore Government has filed claims exceeding S$18.4 million for its response efforts, of which S$2.8 million has been approved. The remainder is still under assessment.
Clean-up operations, led by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), National Parks Board (NParks), National Environment Agency (NEA) and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), took more than two months to complete. Both MPA and SDC have submitted claims to the IOPC Funds, while NParks is finalising its submission.
Insurance firm QBE, which covered Marine Honour, has lodged claims worth about S$35.4 million for clean-up and pollution prevention costs. The 1992 Fund has since approved S$25.2 million of these.
The IOPC Funds have also received claims from tourism and hospitality businesses, private boat owners, and commercial operators who suffered oil damage or loss of income.
In Malaysia, 137 fishers in Johor Bahru filed compensation claims worth RM609,762.
Investigations into the incident found that a failure to deploy Vox Maxima’s anchors and poor communication between crew during a handover contributed to the crash. Four crew members were fined between S$20,000 and S$40,000 each in April 2025 for negligence.
Under Singapore’s Merchant Shipping Act, the vessel owner is liable for oil spill damage even if not at fault. Claims against Marine Honour’s insurer are capped at S$8 million, with the IOPC Fund covering additional claims up to about S$355 million.
The IOPC Funds said it plans to recover part of the compensation from a separate S$32 million liability fund established by Vox Maxima’s owner and insurer.
