JOHOR BARU: More than 100 fishermen, including 27 mussel breeders in Kampung Pasir Putih here, have been affected by an oil spill, believed to be palm oil, in the village's coastal waters since Thursday (Oct 30).
Kampung Pasir Putih Fishermen's Association head Hamzah Allahdita said the spill, detected on Thursday afternoon, is estimated to have spread over a 1km stretch and is suspected to have originated from a palm oil processing plant.
"The oil follows the water current. Not all areas are affected, but parts of the sea surface are clearly coated with a yellowish layer. Many fishing boats have also been smeared with oil," he told Bernama when met at the village jetty Friday (Oct 31).
He said that while no mussels or fish have been reported dead, harvesting has been temporarily suspended for two to three days as a precaution to ensure food safety.
"The mussels are still alive, but when we clean them, they're oily. In that condition, customers won't buy them. We're worried the mussels will spoil and become unsellable," he said.
Hamzah said fishermen and mussel farmers have had to suspend fishing and aquaculture activities while cleanup works are being carried out, disrupting their main source of income.
A mussel raft operator, Faizul Jumat Ismail, said his daily output of more than 300kg of seafood, including mussels, has now come to a complete halt.
"My estimated losses are around RM20,000 because we can't continue working or sell our products," he said.
"We're still waiting for the full report and for the cleanup to be completed. Hopefully, the impact of this spill doesn't drag on and affect our livelihoods for too long," he added.
A Bernama check at the site found cleanup operations actively underway, involving about 30 workers using various methods, including jetting water, flushing and removing oil residues from the seabed.
A representative from the cleaning company said the process is expected to take two to three days to restore the coastal waters to a clean and safe condition for fishing activities.
Meanwhile, Seri Alam OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Sohaimi Ishak said 10 police reports have been lodged by fishermen over the incident, adding that investigations are ongoing. - Bernama
