A diesel spill off the coast of the Galapagos Islands has triggered a mass response effort to ensure the safety of the islands' delicate ecosystem.

Ecuadorean officials said more than 600 gallons of fuel were on board a barge that capsized meters off the coast of San Cristobal Island after a crane fell onto the vessel as it loaded it with cargo.

It is unclear how much of the fuel went on to spill from its container on the coast of the UNESCO world heritage site, where Charles Darwin solidified his theory of evolution thanks to the region's finches.

However, images from the scene show the normally cerulean coast of the northernmost island having turned dark as Ecuadorean officials worked to clear the spillage.

Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno declared a state of emergency for the territory, but stressed that the matter was under control.

Evolving glory of the Galapagos Show all 2 1 /2 Evolving glory of the Galapagos Evolving glory of the Galapagos Galapagos island resident: a Giant Tortoise ALAMY Evolving glory of the Galapagos Three Cormorants by Lalla Ward, from her exhibition on the theme of Galapagos Islands wildlife

Meanwhile, the nation’s minister for the environment, Raúl Ledesma Huert, said contingency measures were immediately implemented to limit any risk to the island’s delicate biosphere. Among the measures put in place were absorbent cloths, deployed to soak up as much oil from the waters as possible.

Of the creatures that live on the islands, roughly 80 per cent of birds, 97 per cent of reptiles more than 30 per cent of plants can be found nowhere else on the planet.

More than 20 per cent of the marine life that lives on the coast are also unique to the region, with the waters also used by the world’s only marine iguana and the only penguin species to be found in the northern hemisphere.