Malaysia seeking oil skimmers

Mon, 27 Oct 1997 | Source: REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia is looking for heavy duty skimmers to clean up an oil spill in the Strait of Malacca threatening a long stretch of its western coast, officials said yesterday.

They said the spill, caused by a collision between two tankers near Singapore on Oct. 16, had moved away from the shore and was now about 13 nautical miles off Batu Pahat.

Authorities on Friday had said the slick, which was moving towards the northwest, covered a four by 30 km area.

"The oil has continued moving northwest. We have one skimmer and plan to deploy two more," Captain Zulkarnain Ayub, of the harbor master's office in the southern town of Johor Baru, told Reuters by telephone.

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