The German-registered MSC Ilona and the Panamanian-registered Hyundai Advance collided on 7 December eight miles north-east of Dangan Island and caused the worst ever oil spill in Chinese waters.

According to the Xinhua news agency, the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Ocean and Aquatic Products industry will assess the oil spill and claim compensation in the name of the state. The amount it will seek will be known in around two weeks time.

An anonymous official from the bureau, speaking to the China Daily newspaper, indicated the compensation amount would not be known until a “damage assessment report” is completed.

“The marine accident resulted in the spillage which has seriously damaged the ocean environment and ecology in the waters in Guangdong Province,” said the official who also said some of the crude oil has dissolved into the deep ocean water and will prove difficult to recover and clean.

The slick covers an area 17 km long and 200 metres wide.