Regional clean-up plan to cover chemical spills

Chemical industry's own initiative aims to provide emergency-response service for companies

By Sharmilpal Kaur

THE chemical industry has formed an emergency response centre to deal with chemical disasters in the region.

In the first of a three-phase initiative launched last month, companies registered with the Asia Chemical Transportation and Emergency Centre (Asctec) will receive help in managing spills from disaster management company SGS Alert. But by early next year, when the next two phases of the scheme kick in, SGS Alert will start tackling the disasters on behalf of its members.

Spearheaded by the Singapore Chemical Industry Council (SCIC), Asctec's 10-member operation hopes to expand and ultimately cover all Asian countries that have major chemical industries, SCIC chairman Ooi Chwee Kim said.

Speaking from Indonesia, Mr Goh Koon Eng, co-chair of Asctec, said: 'It is a regional initiative to provide emergency response.

'We are going to leverage on available resources.'

The initiative is part of SCIC's Responsible Care scheme to promote greater responsibility in the billion-dollar chemical industry.

Companies will deal directly with SGS Alert and costs for Level One of the disaster-management plan range from $1,000 to $20,000 each year.

Said Mr Ooi: 'For those who would like to capitalise on economies of scale, Asctec is a good tool.

'It is a good platform for small and medium-sized enterprises to subscribe to.'

At present, companies have to make their own clean-up arrangements.

Most chemical spills, said Mr Ooi, were due to drums of chemicals falling off trucks and road tankers. But he noted that maritime spills also occurred from time to time.

Last week, an Indonesian-registered tanker carrying 630 tonnes of phenol ran aground in Malaysian waters off Pulau Ubin. Phenol is a corrosive industrial disinfectant, but it will dissolve and break down over time.

It prompted officials here to suspend the harvest and sale of fish from the area's 37 floating fish farms and from the Serangoon coastal area.

Last August, a truck overturned in Jurong, spilling 18 drums of cleaning fluid. In the same week, 10 drums of industrial chemicals were thrown accidentally on to the road.

Mr Ooi said that the main reason for such mishaps was carelessness in handling and transporting chemicals.

But, he noted, most companies, especially larger ones, were cautious with chemicals. 'Generally, we've come a long way in the transportation of hazardous substances in Singapore,' he said.