ISKANDAR PUTERI, July 25 — A trailer carrying chemicals plunged into the sea off the Second Link crossing late yesterday afternoon, following a collision with another trailer at Kilometre 0.8 of the PLUS Expressway heading from Tuas, Singapore.
The Iskandar Puteri Fire and Rescue Station received a distress call regarding the incident at 5:41 pm yesterday.
Operations commander Nurmala Sideli said a Fire Rescue Tender (FRT) with seven personnel from the Iskandar Puteri station was immediately dispatched to the scene.
“Upon arrival, it was found that the collision had caused one of the trailer’s chemical tanks to fall into the sea,” she said in a statement last night. Pictures and video footage of the accident had circulated on social media shortly after it occurred.
Senior Assistant Fire Chief Mohd Faiz Suleiman later confirmed in a separate statement that both trailers were transporting chemicals from Singapore to Malaysia. The tank that fell into the sea was identified as containing propylene glycol, a non-hazardous chemical. The other trailer was carrying sodium hypochlorite, and its tank did not leak.
He reported that the driver of the first trailer suffered a hand injury and was taken to Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) by ambulance, while the second driver was unharmed.
“The Fire and Rescue Department also mobilised a Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) team to the location to assess and ensure there was no risk of chemical leakage or contamination,” said Mohd Faiz.
“Initial checks found no traces of foam or oil on the surface of the sea, indicating no leak from the trailer tank that fell off the bridge.”
An operation to retrieve the submerged chemical tank is currently ongoing.
The accident occurred just one day after Malaysian and Singaporean emergency services conducted a joint chemical spill simulation exercise at the very same location. That exercise was designed to test the effectiveness of the Joint Emergency Response Plan (JERP) under the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE) in handling such incidents on the busy crossing.