The government will provide about 2 billion yen in subsidies to local governments in areas affected by oil spilled from the wrecked Russian tanker Nakhodka, Transport Minister Makoto Koga said Feb. 25.

After the tanker accident in January, oil spills have polluted beaches and damaged marine resources along a vast stretch of the Sea of Japan coast. The government estimates that the damage amounts to 17.8 billion yen.

Transport Ministry officials said the overall cost of the oil cleanup at the local level is estimated at about 7 billion yen. Roughly 4 billion yen has already been spent for cleanup work, such as chartering vessels and purchasing oil fences. The government will reimburse half of the 4 billion yen in subsidies from reserve funds, the officials said. The subsidies do not include costs for operating disaster relief headquarters in each area or tents and other outlays for volunteers.