Singapore Conducts Oil Spill Response Drill

Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia conducted a ground deployment exercise (GDX) under the Revolving Fund Committee to strengthen coordination in responding to oil spills in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. Conducted ahead of Singapore’s 17th Joint Oil Spill Exercise (JOSE) 2026, the GDX simulated an oil spill originating from a vessel collision in Singapore waters, with the oil subsequently reaching the shores of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Led by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the GDX tested information sharing, response planning and mutual assistance among the three littoral States. As part of the exercise, Indonesia and Malaysia deployed response assets in their respective waters to test their response arrangements under the exercise scenario.

Separately, MPA hosted representatives from government agencies, industry partners and international organisations at the Integrated Operations Hub (IOH) Lab at ALICE@Mediapolis as part of JOSE 2026. The program provided an opportunity to share Singapore’s oil spill response capabilities and explore how emerging technologies could support future response operations. Representatives from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), ITOPF[1], Indonesia’s Directorate General of Sea Transportation and Malaysia’s Department of Environment also attended the program.

Participants were briefed on the coordinated deployment of response assets for oil containment, dispersal