Athens: Greek authorities have insisted they are doing everything they can to clean up pollution following the sinking of an oil tanker that has left large sections of the Greek capital's coastal areas coated in viscous, foul-smelling oil.

Crews scrambled on Wednesday to clean up the spill but couldn't stop it spreading.

A worker carries fuel oil in bags as he cleans a polluted beach in the island of Salamina near Athens, on Friday. Credit:AP

The 45-year-old vessel, Agia Zoni II, was carrying 2500 tonnes of fuel when it sank off the island of Salamis on Sunday. By Wednesday, a thick oily tide had covered stretches of the Athens Riviera several miles away.

"This is a catastrophe," said Fotis Yiamanis, a resident of the seafront neighbourhood of Faliro, where Greeks enjoy morning swims several months of the year.