KUALA LUMPUR: The clean-up of oil slicks on two beaches in Pengerang, Johor, should be completed within a week if the weather is good.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the clean-up works on the Sungai Rengit and Teluk Ramunia beaches were almost complete.
He said 51 people were involved in the clean-up which also covers the Sungai Rengit fishermen's jetty.
The clean-up involves spraying rocky areas and pebbles, collecting floating oil in the water and preventing the oil from flowing back into the sea.
"Phase one of the work involving the removal of oil from the beach area is 95 per cent complete.
"Meanwhile, phase two which involves spraying rocky areas and cleaning pebbles is 20 per cent complete," Nik Nazmi told reporters after officiating the Karnival Alam Kita in Taman Tasik Titiwangsa.
He said the authorities had received reports of oil slicks at Pulau Che Kamat and that the Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) was assessing the situation.
A contractor will be assigned to clean the area, Nik Nazmi said, adding the authorities will continue to monitor the situation.
Earlier today, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said the government will request UK-based insurer British Marine to compensate fishermen affected by the oil spill.
British Marine is the insurer for Marine Honour, the vessel that leaked 400 tonnes of low-sulphur fuel into the sea at Singapore's Pasir Panjang Terminal.
The incident happened when a dredger Vox Maxima hit the Marine Honour rupturing one of its oil cargo tanks.
Strong winds and choppy waves led to the oil spill drifting into Malaysian waters, polluting beaches along Sungai Rengit and Teluk Ramunia.
Clean-up works on the beaches and surrounding waters began on Friday.