Ecuador officials have declared the Galapagos Islands to be in a state of emergency following spillage from a cargo ship that went aground last week while carrying diesel.

While around 19,000 gallons of diesel have been removed from the ship, pollutants from the Galapaface I could contaminate the water, said Ecuador's Environment Minister Lorena Tapia Nunez, according to NBC News.

The freighter became stranded off the coast of San Cristobal Island on May 9 before running aground.

"The ship is stranded and continues to present an environmental risk for the Galapagos Marine Reserve and must leave the area," Jorge Torres told the Efe news agency, as reported by BBC News.

Declaring the emergency state will open up more government resources to tackle removing the vessel, officials said.

"As a result of the emergency declaration the Risk Management Secretariat will be able to directly carry out the purchase of goods, the procurement of services and the work that are required to overcome this emergency," the Ecuadorean government said in a statement quoted by BBC News.

While officials didn't say how long it should take to remove the freighter, the emergency measure will stay in place for six months.

Home to animals like the giant tortoise and the marine iguana as well as Darwin's famous finches, the Galapagos Islands were declared a World Heritage Site in 1978 by the United Nations. 

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