JOHOR BARU, Sept 18 — An oil spill has been detected along an area spanning 800 metres in the Mersing waters, affecting nearby areas such as Pulau Rawa and Pulau Besar, here.

Johor Local Government, Urban Wellbeing and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon said the case was reported by local residents on September 15.

"The cause of the spill is still being investigated as the Marine Department reported that there has been no report on vessel accidents or detention.

"Initial investigation found that vessels passing through the international waters could potentially be the source of the oil spill,” he said in a statement today.

Related agencies have been mobilised to contain the spill, with the marine department and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) increasing monitoring activities and the Mersing district office activating its beach cleaning action plan.

"Monitoring was also done together with the Johor Marine Park Department yesterday but no further spill was detected, possibly due to other elements such as strong waves, high wind and the haze,” he said.

Tan also expressed his gratitude to the local residents for reporting the incident to the Department of Environment and for coming forward to help with cleaning activities at the beach. — Bernama