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A Japanese company that operates an oil tanker that ran aground off Mauritius says nearly half of the oil the vessel leaked into the Indian Ocean has been collected.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines believes some 1,000 tons of heavy oil leaked from a cracked fuel tank into the sea after the incident on July 25, local time,Japanese state broadcaster NHK reports

The operator said on Tuesday that about 460 tons of the oil had been recovered.

The incident has caused serious concerns about a negative impact on the local environment, which includes coral reefs and waterfowl.

Company officials say 1,600 tons of heavy oil and 200 tons of light oil remain in the freighter, and that work is underway to remove them from the vessel.

The officials say it's difficult to show an outlook for completing recovery of the leaked oil, citing unstable weather conditions.

They add that they will work hard to resolve the situation as soon as possible, in cooperation with authorities from Mauritius and Japan.

The damaged oil tanker in Mauritius causing vast devastation is owned by a Japanese company.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines says 1,000 tons of oil spilled into Mauritius seas