Tourists were shocked to find a beach had turned black due to an oil spill in Singapore that is threatening wildlife.

Footage shows the slick-coated sand that lined the shore as seen by a family in Tanjong Beach on June 15.

They spotted a sea otter running along the dirty ground which was reportedly caused by a Netherlands-flagged dredging boat that crashed into a fuel ship on June 14.

Father Aaron Fang Hongyong said: ‘I wanted to take my kids to swim but the beach was all dark.'

Singapore maritime and environment agencies said in a joint statement: ‘The collision caused a rupture of one of the Marine Honour's oil cargo tanks, and its contents of low-sulphur fuel oil were released to the sea.'

The National Parks Board said no significant impact on wildlife has been observed yet but they are monitoring the situation.