"Our beach is damaged and our environment is polluted ... and we will claim for these damages once a comprehensive assessment is done," Communication Minister Ahmed Ali told AFP.

The Greek-registered MV Tasman Spirit, owned by Assimina Maritime Limited of Malta, was carrying 67,000 tonnes of crude oil for the national refinery when it ran aground July 27 near the Karachi port. Cracks in its hull caused it to split in two Thursday, leaching oil into the surrounding waters and coastal areas.

Pakistan has already lodged a formal complaint with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) demanding the owner of the tanker pay an initial 200,000-dollar claim, pending a final assessment of the losses.

The minister said a separate claim would be filed for the spilled oil, which was insured.

President Pervez Musharraf has already ordered an enquiry into the massive oil spill, to probe the causes of the disaster and fix responsibility should any negligence be determined.

"The enquiry is in its initial stage and it is premature to say who was responsible for the incident or was it merely an accident," Ali said.

Port officials said 20,000 tonnes of oil had already been transferred from the ship in a salvage operation last week while another 6,000 tonnes were recovered from the broken ship as of Monday.

The ship was believed to still be carrying 35,000 tonnes of crude oil, they said.

"We resumed the oil salvage operation Sunday and a ship named Fair Jolly is shifting the oil from the Tasman Spirit into another ship," the minister said.

The oil spill has already destroyed young mangroves, turtles and fish along 16 kilometers (10 miles) of Karachi's coastline.

The city's popular Clifton Beach has been badly polluted by the spill, triggering an exodus of residents.

Municipal council workers have been scraping up oily sand with their hands, tractors and mechanical shovels since the weekend.

TERRA.WIRE