Oil spilled into Colombia's Caribbean waters on Wednesday after two ships collided, the Colombian government said.

The accident occurred in the Bay of Colombia early Wednesday, when the oil-carrying Singaporean ship CRCCOW ESMERALD and a tugboat crashed into each other near the mouth of the Leon River in the Uraba region of northern Antioquia department.

The accident caused the leak of about 1,000 gallons of oil and naval troops were dispatched to the site to contain the spill, according to Ernesto Duran, president of Colombia's maritime authority (Dimar).

"Our emergency boats are working in the area, collecting the spilled oil, hoping it will not reach the coastline," Duran told local media.

The Departmental Council for Disaster Risk Management said the crew of the damaged ship, with help from the navy, placed containment barriers around the area.

The ship was keeled over to prevent more oil from spilling, and Colombia's state oil company Ecopetrol is expected in the area to identify the magnitude of the spill and type of oil.