PARIS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- French and Italian maritime authorities on Monday launched a joint operation to clean up a fuel spill in the Mediterranean sea after two cargo ships collided near French island of Corsica and caused a fuel leak, France's maritime authority said.

"Since this morning, French and Italian ships are at work. They established barriers to contain the oil and began pumping the fuel which is moving away from Corsica because of the winds," a spokesman with French maritime authority said.

On Sunday morning, a Tunisian cargo ship collided with a Cypriot container ship and pierced a hole in its hall provoking a fuel leak. Spots of fuel have spread 20 km in the Mediterranean sea.

No casualties had been reported in the collision.