Two ships underway off the Greek island of Chios collided on Friday, local authorities said.

The two ships were ballasting and weather conditions were good at the crash site, which was 9.5 nautical miles [17.6 km] off Chios.

About 12 Greek coastal patrol boats, navy ships and helicopters rushed to the area to provide assistance. They were joined by a coastguard boat from Turkey.

In an update delivered the following day, the Hellenic Coastguard said there was no casualties or pollution from the incident and that both ships managed to leave the area under their own steam.

One of the ships, the 12,800-dwt Potentia (built 2009), continued its journey to Malta. The Potentia had 19 seafarers on board under the flag of Singapore and is managed by Singapore's SE Shipping Lines.

The second ship suffered some damage.

According to Turkish coastguards, the 5,200-dwt Ant (built 2006) took on water in one of its holds.

The Vanuatu-flagged ship, which had a Turkish crew of 13 and is managed by Turkey’s Maksimar Denizcilik, sailed back towards the Aliaga anchorage.

The Aegean Sea is a busy waterway for commercial traffic, combining shorthaul and middle-distance trades in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea with oceangoing traffic between Asia, Africa and Europe.

Last month, another general cargo ship, the 11,500-dwt Atlanta (built 2009), hit rocky shores at a remote islet off Rhodes. Salvors struggled for more than a week to refloat it in difficult conditions.