The owners of the Greek-registered bulk carrier Syros said today that they estimated that fuel oil spilt from the ship after a collision with a Maltese vessel earlier this week now stood at 14 tonnes and not the far higher figures quoted by the international press.

"The owners take any spillage extremely seriously, regardless of size, and every effort is being made to ensure that the local environment is protected," they said.

The Syros was involved in a collision with the Sea Bird off Montevideo on Tuesday whilst taking action to avoid a collision with a third vessel. At the time of the collision the Syros was in ballast with no cargo on board.

As a result of the collision, a bunker tank on the double bottom port side of the vessel was breached. The breach has now been dealt with and there is no further leakage.