An oil tanker collided with a vessel that was carrying a crane off the west coast of South Korea on Friday, causing for more than 66,000 barrels of crude oil to spill.

This is believed to be the biggest oil leak of South Korea, according to officials.

The accident occurred at 7:30 a.m. when a vessel carrying a crane crashed into the 147,000-ton tanker Hebei Spirit, the New York Times reports. The accident happened just 5 miles off Mallipo beach, 93 miles southwest of Seoul.

Because of the collision the three containers from the tanker were pierced. Nobody was injured during the accident.  

The spilled oil was stretching for almost three miles towards the coast, which is known for its scenic beaches and wild life habitats. It also has a national maritime park.

Kim Jong Seok, an official at the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry, said: "So far we have no reports of damage. Much will depend on how the sea currents move in coming hours. We have 40 vessels out there fighting the oil spill.”

He said that they fear of an ecological disaster and that they’ve set up a boom to stop the oil from spreading.

He added: “If we fail to contain the spread, it is feared (it will) inflict serious damage to the coast," BBC News quotes.

Still, the damage could be limited due to the fact that the oil could freeze quickly in the water’s winter temperatures.

Jung Se-hi, a Coast Guard officer, said that 34 vessels were deployed in the area along with navy and government vessels, and four helicopters in order to collect the oil.

He said that the scene was surrounded by an emergency floating fence. The cleaning operation could take several days.

According to a ministry official, the tanker was carrying 1.8 million barrels of crude oil.

In 1995 an oil tanker spilled almost 30,740 barrels of crude and fuel oil. The clean-up operations cost $101 million.