A state of emergency is in force in the Federated States of Micronesia over last month's grounding of a fishing vessel.
The Ping Da 7, which is a Kiribati-registered Chinese refrigerated fish carrier, ran aground on the Pohnpei reef on December 11th.
A presidential declaration says a substantial amount of dangerous fuels, gas and chemicals on board pose a substantial environmental threat to the people of Pohnpei state and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Reports of oil leaking from the vessel have been confirmed.
The declaration says during the period of the state of emergency, all immigration, customs, and quarantine processing and clearance may be temporarily relaxed.
This is to facilitate and expedite the dispatch of experienced personnel, specialised vessels and equipment to deal with the matter at hand.
The emergency is in force until February the 22nd.