July 1, 2026
SINGAPORE – Two people were taken to hospital after an ammonia leak at a cold storage facility in Fishery Port Road on June 29.
Buildings in the area were also evacuated, with people allowed to return only about five hours later.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post at about 2pm that it received a call for assistance at 11 Fishery Port Road at about 11.45am that day.
Upon SCDF’s arrival, ammonia was detected within the premises’ compound and it was evacuated.
Checks by The Straits Times show that it is the address of cold storage facility Jurong Marine Cold Storage. The company also describes itself as a manufacturer of food grade ice on its website.
As a precautionary measure, buildings at 9 and 15 Fishery Port Road were also evacuated, SCDF said. Hazardous materials (hazmat) specialists were on site to carry out mitigation operations.
Exposure to high levels of ammonia can hurt a person’s skin, eyes, throat and lungs, and cause coughing and burns, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also lead to death.
In an update at about 2.30pm, SCDF said that hazmat specialists traced the leak to a pipe in a room within the premises. The supply valve to the affected pipe was shut off.
Two people were earlier assessed by SCDF and taken to Singapore General Hospital for exposure to ammonia vapour.
SCDF said at about 4.45pm that the pair were evacuated from 11 Fishery Port Road. The severity of their injuries is unclear. It is also not known if they are employees of Jurong Marine Cold Storage.
There are no other reported injuries, SCDF added. The leak was sealed and readings from hazmat detectors confirmed there were no further leaks within the premises.
People who were earlier evacuated from 9, 11 and 15 Fishery Port Road were allowed to return, it added.
Ammonia is commonly used as a refrigerant in large industrial cold storage facilities.
When ST arrived at the scene at about 3.15pm, parts of Fishery Port Road were cordoned off and at least six SCDF vehicles were on site.
An employee of Jurong Marine Cold Storage, who declined to be named, told ST in a mix of English and Tamil that the incident happened at around 10am. No one panicked, he said, and he and his colleagues walked out “calmly”, despite knowing the danger of ammonia.
As at 3.30pm, a handful of workers were seen sitting on a grass patch a few metres away from the police cordon, while others had returned home.
Shaikh Mohammed, an employee of Far Ocean Singapore located at 15 Fishery Port Road, said he was told by his manager to go home after he came back from lunch at about 12.30pm.
He added that about 20 workers from his company were asked to evacuate.
He said he did not smell the ammonia. The smell is often described as the stench of rotting fish.
The 42-year-old, who was in his uniform, said that he had been sitting outside the building as his personal belongings and clothes were still in the company’s premises.
Earlier, SCDF had advised members of the public to avoid the area.
ST has contacted Jurong Marine Cold Storage for more information.