3D-printed shoes protect Singapore’s birds of prey from foot disease
SINGAPORE - 3D-printing technology has found a surprising application in customised shoes that protect birds of prey in Singapore from a potentially fatal foot disease. The silicone-made bird shoes have been refined over two years by Jurong Bird Park's avian veterinary team and the Keio-NUS Cute (Connective Ubiquitous Technology for Embodiments) Centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS). In a joint statement on Thursday (Nov 25), Jurong Bird Park and NUS said the shoes, which were cast from 3D-printed moulds of the feet of some of the park's birds, have been used to treat a medical condition of the birds known as pododermatitis, or "bumblefoot". Pododermatitis results in pressure sores, tissue swelling and callouses. If left untreated, it can become disabling and even fatal, the statement said. The shoes are designed to redistribute pressure on the weight-bearing surface of the patient's feet, as well as aid in the recovery from the degenerative condition. While the condition can be treated with bandages, 3D-printed technology provided a more precise way of protecting bird feet, said Dr Xie Shangzhe, acting deputy vice-president of conservation, research and veterinary a...
One person dies after PMD fire in Jurong West flat; 2 others rescued from ledge outside unit
SINGAPORE - A man was found dead in a bedroom after a fire broke out in a Housing Board flat in Jurong West, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Friday (Oct 8). Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire was of electrical origin from a personal mobility device (PMD). The SCDF was alerted to the blaze on the fifth storey of Block 978 Jurong West Street 93 at 2.25am on Friday. Two people were seen standing on a ledge outside a unit. The firefighters broke into a bedroom of the flat to rescue them. The fire, which involved the contents in another bedroom, was extinguished with one water jet. A 22-year-old man was found in that bedroom and pronounced dead at the scene by a SCDF paramedic, the police said. A 24-year-old unconscious man had been evacuated from the flat before the SCDF arrived and was taken to Singapore General Hospital for burn injuries, said the police. About 60 residents from the neighbouring units were evacuated by the police. Two firefighters were assessed by paramedics to have experienced heat exhaustion and taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. They have since been discharged. In the Facebook post, SCDF reminded the public on the prevention of...
Covid-19 transmission via contaminated surfaces at Jurong Fishery Port possible, but may not be main route
SINGAPORE - Transmission via contaminated surfaces at the Jurong Fishery Port was possible, though unlikely to be the dominant route of Covid-19 spread, said experts here. The largest active cluster in Singapore, which has more than 1,000 cases linked to it, began after a number of fishmongers who had visited the fishery port tested positive. Singapore's director of medical services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, said at a July 20 press conference of the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19 that the infection was likely introduced from Indonesian or other fishing boats. However, the exact mechanism of transmission from the fishing boats to stall operators at the port "isn't entirely clear", he had noted then. Still, fomite transmission, which refers to objects or materials likely carrying infection, through contaminated surfaces and at the stalls, remains a strong possibility. Professor Paul Tambyah, president of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection, said the outbreaks in the fishery port are a throwback to what happened at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan, China, where the Sars-CoV-2 virus was first detected. However, Prof Tambyah noted that ...
Four in five tenants and workers at Jurong Fishery Port are fully vaccinated: Grace Fu
SINGAPORE - Around 80 per cent of tenants and workers at Jurong Fishery Port are fully vaccinated, with 88 per cent having received at least one dose, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Tuesday (Aug 3). During a visit to the port in the morning, she noted that the vaccination rate at the port is high and urged all tenants and workers there to get vaccinated. She said: "All the stallholders who are back, have been tested negative, and they have been put on routine regular testing of seven days, and all trade visitors, similarly, have been tested negative before they're allowed to come in." The wholesale market at Jurong Fishery Port is the centre of the largest active Covid-19 cluster here with 1,072 cases as at Monday noon. The outbreak led to cases emerging in 43 markets and food centres around Singapore. Ms Fu, who visited the port together with Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Desmond Tan, said tenants of the port were progressively opening their stalls and adapting to the enhanced safe management measures that were put in place for its reopening. The port reopened at 3pm on July 31, after being closed for two weeks, during w...
Jurong Fishery Port reopens for tenants but few workers return
SINGAPORE - The Jurong Fishery Port remained quiet on Saturday (July 31), despite reopening for tenants after a two-week closure due to a Covid-19 outbreak on its premises. The Straits Times observed that only nine workers - employees of the port's tenants - turned up at the port's entrance between 6am and 10am. Most came in their own vehicles, which they parked outside the entrance, while others arrived in taxis. Those who spoke to ST said they had returned to open their companies' offices for disinfection, as instructed by their bosses. Friday was the last day of their quarantine. They also said they had not yet been instructed to prepare for Monday, when unloading and wholesale activities are allowed to resume in the port. But the workers were not allowed entry until about 9.40am. By then, five of them had left after asking another worker to open their offices on their behalf. The remaining workers had to don protective clothing and were subsequently escorted by a Singapore Food Agency (SFA) officer into the port. Three other visitors, believed to be staff tasked with disinfecting the premises, were seen entering the port between 9.15am and 9.25am. ST understands that there are ...
Civil contracts worth $526m awarded to build 4 MRT stations serving NTU, Jurong industrial area
SINGAPORE - Construction of four more Jurong Region Line (JRL) MRT stations that will serve Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Jurong Town Corporation industrial area is set to begin this quarter. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) awarded two civil contracts valued at $263 million each for this on Tuesday (April 6). The contracts are for the design and construction of the four stations and associated viaducts. The stations are part of the JRL’s third phase, which is expected to be completed in 2029. Two of the stations, tentatively named Jurong Hill and Jurong Pier, will serve the industrial area around Jurong Pier Road. The other two, Nanyang Gateway and Nanyang Crescent, will be located on NTU’s campus. Once completed, the new stations will help commuters save up to 30 minutes in travelling time. For example, NTU students travelling from Choa Chu Kang now need an hour to get to the Lee Wee Nam Library on campus. The journey involves transferring from the North-South Line to the East-West Line and then taking a bus. With the JRL, the same trip would take only 35 minutes. The first contract covering Jurong Hill and Jurong Pier stations, as well as a 1.1km viaduct betwe...
1,200 new jobs in Jurong Innovation District over next 18 months
SINGAPORE - The Jurong Innovation District will create some 1,200 new jobs in industries such as advanced manufacturing, urban mobility and urban solutions over the next 18 months. With another 3,300 jobs that are “relocated” when factories move their operations into the area, the district will account for a total of 4,500 jobs in that time period. Urban and infrastructure consulting firm Surbana Jurong and manufacturing plant Shimano are among the companies that are moving into the Jurong Innovation District. Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng gave these details to the media on Wednesday morning (March 31), on the sidelines of a visit to Sodick Singapore Techno Centre located in the district. The first phase of the 600ha Jurong Innovation District is expected to be completed around 2022. When it is fully developed, the advanced manufacturing hub will create over 95,000 new jobs. During his visit, Dr Tan also launched a set of new industry guidelines for the safe set-up, operations and maintenance of additive manufacturing facilities. The guidelines are laid out in technical reference 87 on “Safety of Additive Manufacturing Facilities”. One area it covers is how su...
Man accused of murdering woman in Jurong East stabbing incident had allegedly hurt her before
SINGAPORE - A 35-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing a woman in Jurong East had purportedly hurt her with a penknife in November last year. Zheng Xianfeng, a Chinese national, was facing two charges, including for last year's alleged offence, before he was charged on Thursday (Feb 18) with murdering Tham Mee Yoke. Tham, 34, was found lying motionless with multiple stab wounds at the void deck of Block 308 Jurong East Street 32 by the police, after they were alerted on Tuesday at 11.55pm. She was unconscious when taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and pronounced dead at about 1.30am the next day. On Wednesday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force received a call for help at 12.05am and said that two people were taken to the hospital. The police said on Wednesday that Zheng and Tham know each other. According to court documents, Zheng is said to have voluntarily caused hurt to Tham using a penknife on Nov 17 last year at the open space carpark next to Block 349 Jurong East Avenue 1. He is also accused of causing annoyance on Jan 16 this year by lying down on the carpark near Block 316 Jurong East Street 32, and shouting while drunk. Zheng's case is expected to be heard again on...
Jurong Port to take over O.K. Lim family’s stake in Universal Terminal: Sources
SINGAPORE (REUTERS) - Government-owned Jurong Port is set to take over the shares in a major oil storage terminal held by the Lim family behind collapsed oil trader Hin Leong, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The deal marks the sale of the crown jewel among oil and shipping assets owned by oil tycoon Lim Oon Kuin, better know as O.K. Lim, his son Evan Lim Chee Meng and daughter Lim Huey Ching. It comes nearly a year after Hin Leong, once Asia's largest oil trader, racked up some US$4 billion (S$5.3 billion) in debt and entered court restructuring, followed by Ocean Tankers and Xihe Group also owned by the Lim family. Jurong Port is set to take over the Lim family's stakes in the terminal, the sources said, declining to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media. The Lim family managed and owned 41 per cent of Universal Terminal through Universal Group Holdings. "Jurong Port's participation was well received by existing investors as it's a neutral partner as compared with commercial parties such as a trading house," said one of the sources. The investment details were not immediately clear but a previous sale of a stake in the terminal in 2016 ...
22 taken to hospital after car and bus carrying foreign workers collide on Jurong Island
SINGAPORE - A total of 21 bus passengers believed to be foreign workers were taken to hospital on Sunday morning (Dec 6) after the bus they were on collided with a car on Jurong island. Police said they were all conscious when taken to three hospitals. The 42-year-old driver of the car was sent to National University Hospital. The impact of the accident caused the bus to topple on its side, and the front half of the car to be crushed almost beyond recognition. The Singapore Civil Defence Force said the 22 victims were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, National University Hospital and Singapore General Hospital. The accident happened at 7am at the end of Jurong Island Highway in Jurong island. Police investigations are ongoing. 22 taken to hospital after car and bus carrying foreign workers collide on Jurong Island