Oil spill threatens Buenos Aires as ships collide off Uruguay

Montevideo: Two merchant ships from Greece and Malta have collided off the coast of Uruguay, dumping fuel oil from one of the vessels and causing an oil spill to head towards the coast of Argentina.

Officials say they are fighting the 21-kilometre-long fuel-oil spill caused by the collision and there will be much greater harm to the environment if the fuel reaches land.

Navy Captain Marcelo Larrobla said an undetermined amount of fuel oil was released after the Greece-registered Syros slammed against the Malta-registered Sea Bird near Montevideo. Authorities are trying to control the spill with floating barriers.

No one on either ship was injured but the Syros was damaged near the fuel tank, which apparently produced the spill.

Larrobla says the collision was likely caused by a wrong manoeuvre by the Syros, although it is still being investigated.