Montevideo  - Environmental activists in Uruguay were on Wednesday trying to bring under control a fuel oil leak on its Atlantic coast brought about by the collision of two ships.

The Uruguayan Navy and the National Environment Department said the accident happened around midnight Tuesday, when the Greek-flagged ship Syros and the Maltese-flagged Sea Bird crashed some 20 kilometres off the coast before Uruguayan capital Montevideo.

The Syros was damaged around the waterline.

The collission appeared to have damaged a nearby oil tank.

The accident caused the tank to leak and launched an operation to prevent further environmental damage, officials said.

The ship itself listed 10 degrees after the accident, to keep the leak to a minimum.

Uruguayan maritime authorities were investigating the causes of the collision. (dpa)