Cleanup operations are underway on the Russian island of Sakhalin after a tanker laden with oil grounded close to a fishing port, ripping open at least one of its tanks and polluting several kilometers of coastline.

The tanker Nadezhda struck a reef during a storm on Saturday and foundered 150 meters from the fishing port of Nevelsk, about 100 km north of Hokkaido. It was carrying 786 tons of fuel oil and diesel fuel.

Significant environmental damage was reported in the area. The government's Emergencies Ministry department for Sakhalin said Monday oil coated a 3.5-km stretch of the shore, with the sticky sludge extending up to 4 meters on land from the water line.