A team of pollution experts from the US coast guard was due to arrive in the Galapagos islands yesterday to help Ecuadoran authorities to contain an oil spill threatening the wildlife refuge.
According to Ecuador's Environment Minister, Mr Rodolfo Rendon, the oil slick extended over a 200 sq km area. The oil spill occurred after the tanker Jessica ran aground last Tuesday near San Cristobal, the easternmost island in the chain.
The Galapagos chain lies some 650 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Home to 9,000 rare giant tortoises, after which the islands were named, they are famous for the research conducted there in 1835 by Charles Darwin.
A US coast guard spokesman, Mr Dan Dewell, said that the team was accompanied by an expert from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Mr Dewell said inflatable barges would be used to siphon off any remaining oil from the tanker, then haul it away.
The Jessica was carrying 240,000 gallons (900,000 litres) of oil when it ran aground, leaving it listing at 25 degrees.
Galapagos National Park's assistant director, Mr Diego Bonilla, said yesterday that "the spill is limited to several oil slicks, but they have not touched the shoreline, and no wild animal has suffered.
"The mildness of the weather and ocean calm have prevented the situation from getting worse," Mr Bonilla added.
Officials have said that at least 20,000 gallons of fuel have been recovered from the bay where the spill occurred. Containment efforts included erecting floating barricades around the tanker in an effort to protect the islands' rare flora and fauna.