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MPA briefing on plans for the Pasir Panjang Container Terminal
MPA invitation to participate in relocation of intertidal marine life
 
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Pasir Panjang Container Terminal project
and impact on Labrador Nature Park
and surrounding marine areas


Briefing at MPA on 5 May 06


Covered the following:

MPA briefed on Phase 3 and 4 of the Pasir Panjang Container Terminal (PPCT) expansion (Mr Loh Chee Kit)

DHI briefed on the Environmental Impact Assessment and Environment Monitoring and Management Plan (EMMP) (Mr Tom Foster)

Prof Chou Loke Ming briefed on the impact on Labrador Nature Park and the translocation of corals.

Present:

MPA, DHI, Prof Chou Loke Ming, NParks, NEA, Surbana
NSS, SUF, BWV, SEC, wildsingapore.
Invited but did not attend: Coral Reef Restoration Group

In summary:

Details of the reclamation are confidential because the tender for the project has not yet been issued. There will be a public announcement of the project late this year or earlier next year.

Reclamation is necessary to expand PPCT to meet demand beyond 2010. Reclamation will also involve dredging in the area. Container terminal services provides 5% of our GDP, 4% of employment and 80% of container transport is transhipment.

MPA proactively arranged DHI to conduct the EIA and EMMP; and Prof Chou as the local expert to look into the biodiversity impact on Labrador Nature Park, engaged him to carry out coral translocation and assist MPA during the reclamation. MPA also engaged a PR company to do their communications on the project.

Reclamation and contruction will be done in phases to minimise sedimentation.

DHI did an EIA in 2005 on the effects of currents, suspended particles, water quality.

The EIA is available for viewing by appointment with MPA (those who attended the briefing can make arrangements for their members to view the EIA at MPA office)

DHI will set up an EMMP involving monitoring locations throughout the Southern area including Labrador Nature Park, Sentosa, Cyrene reef, Terkukor, Jong, Raya Reef. They will look at impact of sediment load on corals and seagrass. If sediment spill exceeds the set limit, the contractor will be told to adjust work schedule. The feedback will be given to the contractor within a day of monitoring measurement. An EMMP is considered better than using silt screens as such screens give a false sense of security. DHI expects the impact to be minor with the EMMP in place, and to be confined to Singapore waters. In private conversation during the break, DHI feels the impact of the reclamation will not affect areas such as Sisters' Islands.

There is a need to relocate submarine cables currently at the reclamation site. These cables service Pulau Bukom. The service cables will be relocated right on top of Labrador Park, affecting about half of the shore closer to PPCT (see maps below roughly reconstructed from the briefing).

The relocation will involve building a cofferdam about 200-300m long, 10m deep and 50-70m wide. Excavation for the submarine cables after the cofferdam is built, in order to minimise impact on Labrador Nature Park. Work on the cofferdam will start in Jul 06 and half of Labrador shore will be hoarded up for safety during the construction. There is a provision in the contract to introduce silt screens during construction of the cofferdam if it is found necessary. (see below for what is a cofferdam)

Prof Chou had done a complete review of biodiversity on Labrador shore covering species richness (qualitative), species abundance (quantitative) and species distribution (mapping). He noted that Labrador Park is currently impacted by visitor load (e.g., school children), undetected collection and unregulated fishing from the jetty.

In his biodiversity study, he found that there is a belt of corals between 5m and 8m, rather than the normal coral reef profile. The study also showed that both coral cover and genera on the eastern end of the belt were higher than the proposed location of the cofferdam and to the west of it. He cited the lack of hard substrate on the western end one of the possible reasons for this.

The plan is to relocate corals in the path of the cofferdam. About 30% of corals will be relocated, focusing on some species and not all, e.g. species only found in the affected path, and others such as Acropora. It was decided that it would be less stressful on the relocated corals to relocate them to Labrador itself and not another reef. They will be relocated east and west of the existing reef and relocated back after the cofferdam is constructed in about one-and-a-half years' time. There is a lack of hard substrate on the western side and precast concrete structures will be placed there for the relocated corals. The relocated corals will be monitored every quarter. Relocation will be done at high tide. Prof Chou proposed restricting visitor access to the services route for a few years to facilitate natural regeneration.

Prof Chou mentioned that they are expecting natural recruitment to occur. Prof Chou was asked when the relocation is expected to start and he answered that it would start this weekend (12 May starting) and it will be carried out by his team. Labrador is expected to remain open to the public except for the cofferdam are which will be blocked off "for safety reasons".

There was a brief Q&A, info provided incorporated into the summary above.

In addition, NSS and SUF offered to help Prof Chou in relocation. SUF asked DHI to provide spill data to SUF for safety of its members' activities.

NSS also presented the book "Singapore Waters" to MPA at the end of the meeting. And wildsingapore distributed a powerpoint of photos of corals and other marine life commonly encountered on the intertidal to all government and NGO representatives present at the briefing.

Any queries and request for viewing of EIA can be sent via email to EIAqueries@mpa.gov.sg


New terminal (yellow rectangle)
Relocated submarine cables (orange line)



What is a cofferdam?
from Wikipedia's article on dams

A cofferdam is a (usually temporary) barrier constructed to exclude water from an area that is normally submerged. Made commonly of wood, concrete or steel sheet piling, cofferdams are used to allow construction on the foundation of permanent dams, bridges, and similar structures. When the project is completed, the cofferdam may be demolished or removed. See also causeway and retaining wall.

from Cofferdam Construction By Alex Kruggel March 31, 1999
Advantages of a cofferdam
• Allow excavation and construction of structures in otherwise poor environment
• Provides safe environment to work
• Contractors typically have design responsibility
• Steel sheet piles are easily installed and removed
• Materials can typically be reused on other projects

Disadvantages of a cofferdam
• Special equipment required
• Relatively expensive
• Typically very time consuming & tedious
• If rushed, sheets can be driven out of locks or out of plumb
• When in flowing water “log jams” may occur creating added stress on structure

Cofferdam construction on shores

Cofferdams are used to build lighthouses
from Lighthouse evolution and typology
by Dr Rober Browning on the US Coast Guard website

Cofferdam construction was used where it was desired to build the foundation on a dry site and where it was not necessary to penetrate the sea-bed to any great depth. This method could only be used in very shallow water. The wooden walls of the cofferdam were constructed ashore, taken to the site, assembled into a box in the water, bolted together and sealed, and the water pumped. Workmen then entered this open-topped structure and prepared the foundation for the lighthouse. The light pictured here is the Robbins Reef Light.

Cofferdams are also used to salvage shipwrecks
see Shipwreck Central

Back to Labrador Nature Reserve factsheet
 
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