Government may take legal action against BP if the costs of cleaning up tar balls from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill prove too high.

Director of Public Environment and Protection Dr. Fred Ming said this was one of the measures being considered to combat effects of oil on the Island.

He said:"If there is an economic impact of these tar balls, the Bermuda Government would certainly want to be in a position to try and make a claim.

"So we are looking at the methodology that would be necessary in the sampling process to be sure any methods we use would stand up in a court of law."

According to Dr. Ming, a case against BP would only be possible if government could trace the oil back to them.

However, it is one of the measures that could minimise impacts of oil on the Island, predicted to appear as early as August.

The Ministry has also been testing a tool known as a beach comber since May, in case oil does reach Bermuda's shores.

The machine has proven to be effective in picking up oil in other jurisdictions affected by the spill.

Ten are currently being used on the Gulf clean-up and are working very well, said Dr. Ming, who added: "So I think our preparations are looking fairly good. We are just trying to monitor the situation."

Government is also investigating whether they can use cargo ship Somers Isle, which travels between Bermuda and Fernandina, Florida, as part of an ocean monitoring project.

They may put an instrument on the vessel to measure hydrocarbon levels just below the ocean surface as the ship travels back and forth. Hydrocarbon is a substance found naturally in oil.

This method could help determine whether the oil is moving closer to the Island, Dr. Ming said.

Last week the oil was delayed from drifting into the Gulf Stream and making its way to the Island. A loop current in the Gulf of Mexico had broken apart and a new loop was created, circulating the oil into the Panhandle.

Still, there could be an effect on the Island's reefs, beaches and marine life, once the oil makes its way here.

According to Dr. Ming, the oil in the Gulf will begin to evaporate into the air over time; and will likely become more firm and turn into tar balls.

This should not affect our drinking water as it should be in very low concentrations, he said.

Meanwhile, in the Gulf of Mexico, the oil has caused some turtles to become stranded and even die, said Dr. Ming yesterday.

Chemicals being used to disperse the oil, when in high enough concentrations, have killed some species of fish, such as turbit, and some invertebrates like shrimp.

Coral can also be damaged by the chemical, known as Corexit, but it is also not known whether high enough concentrations will reach the Island.

Dr. Ming said "That chemical is less toxic than oil, so it is about trying to balance that equation. You solve one problem and create another, but there are no good answers at this time for the situation."

He continued "We are still hoping the flushing and dilution that takes place over time will bring those concentrations down a level."