Kedah State Department of Environment (DOE) director, Mohamed Ishak Tani, confirmed that the equipment would be sent to his department some time in January.
"Although oil spills have not occurred in Kedah for over 10 years, the state feels precautionary measures should be taken. Since Langkawi is situated in the Straits of Malacca, which is frequently used by vessels carrying crude oil, the odds for an oil spill are there," said Mohamed Ishak.
He used the example of the oil spill off Sumatra, which had an adverse effect on Langkawi. Mohamed Ishak also disclosed four other areas in the northern Malaysian state that could be affected by potential oil spills, namely Kuala Muda, Yan, Kota Star and Kubang Pasu.
A DOE spokesperson, the DOE water and marine contingency section assistant control officer Rosmina Yusof, said, "Several other places, including in Sabah and Sarawak, [are] also equipped with oil boom sets. The sets were [are] at strategic places to enable quick deployment in the event of oil spills."
