DALIAN - The loading of 10,000 tons of gasoline and 10,000 tons of diesel to help earthquake relief in Japan started Monday afternoon at a deepwater port in China's northeastern city of Dalian, a port official said.

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The loading started at around 1 pm Monday after oil tanker "Shengchi" arrived at port, and the process would take about a dozen hours. The tanker is expected to leave for Japan on Tuesday morning and arrive in Japan within three to four days, the official said.

The fuel came from Dalian Petrochemical, which is affiliated with PetroChina, the country's largest producer of fuel. The shipment is carried out by the China Shipping Development Co Ltd.

China's fuel assistance to Japan, which suffered a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami on March 11, is in response to requests by the Japanese government.

As requested, the gasoline will be shipped to Edajima of Hiroshima Prefecture and the diesel will be sent to Imabari in Ehime Prefecture.