Singapore carried out a drill involving different government agencies on Wednesday to test its readiness for the scenario of a major chemical spill in its waters.

"With the Straits of Malacca and Singapore being heavily used by vessels, it is essential to be operationally ready in case of any major spills. The multi-agency involvement in this chemical spill exercise is a good example of how close coordination allows Singapore to respond quickly and effectively to any spills in Singapore's waters," said M Segar, an official from the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA).

The scenario involved a chemical tanker suffering a steering failure and being hit by another tanker off Singapore's Jurong Island. The chemical tanker, loaded with 10,000 tons of benzene, suffered damage to its cargo tanks and about 500 tons of benzene was spilled. The impact of the accident also caused three crew members of the chemical tanker to fall to the main deck from the catwalk. One crew member was seriously injured.

The spill response teams successfully deployed primary and secondary booms and treated the spill with foam to prevent more benzene spill, the authority said.

More than 10 vessels and 120 personnel from 13 agencies took part in the exercise.

The exercise was held as Singapore celebrated the Singapore Maritime Week. One of the events, the International Chemical and Oil Pollution Conference and Exhibition, is the only international event in Asia focusing on safe shipping of oil, chemicals and petrochemicals.