JOHOR BARU: The authorities suspect foreign tankers had discharged marine fuel that resulted in an oil spill off Kota Tinggi on Wednesday.
Southern Region Marine Department director Dickson Dollah said satellite images had captured several vessels anchoring for more than two days from April 14, in the waters of Tanjung Balau and Batu Layar where the spill had occurred.
“We believe these ships could have discharged the fuel at night to avoid detection,” he told Bernama when contacted.
He said the vessels have since left the area after the incident.
Dickson said an estimated 300 tonnes of marine fuel oil had been dumped with the spill covering an area of about four nautical miles from the coast.
A clean-up operation has been launched since yesterday, he said adding that it could at least three to four days to clear the spill. -- BERNAMA