THE HAGUE, Oct 12, 2010 (AFP) - A Greek tanker sprang a kerosene leak after it was involved in a collision with a Cypriot container ship off the Netherlands early Tuesday, the Dutch coastguard said.
The collision pierced a hole five metres by six (around 15 by 18 feet) around the waterline in the tanker's hull, Peter Verbrug, a spokesman for the coastguard, told AFP.
The leak was stopped around 8.45 (0645 GMT) and the remaining kerosene in the damaged tank was pumped into another tank, he added.
"The kerosene which escaped evaporated very quickly, it was hardly in contact with the water," he explained, adding that it was not expected to have caused any environmental damage.
Nobody was hurt in the accident, which happened in good weather around 30 kilometres (20 miles) off The Hague. It was not immediately known what caused the collision.
Around 25 people were on board the tanker and 12 on the container ship, which was carrying mostly empty containers.
The container ship, the "Jork Ranger", sustained only minor damage and was able to continue on its way to Rotterdam, while the tanker, the "Mindoro", was to head for the port of Scheveningen.
The spokesman said the tanker was not in any immediate danger of sinking.
