10,000 gallons of oil into Bermuda waters in a risky oil burning experiment, it was revealed yesterday.

But Environment Minister the Hon. Gerald Simons stressed at a briefing yesterday the experiment did not have final approval.

Final approval depended on the overseas agencies involved agreeing to abide by a rigid set of rules for conducting the experiment, he said. The rules are to be determined by Bermuda's Marine Pollution Contingency Committee (MPCC). If an agreement is reached, the experiment could take place some 20 miles off Bermuda by August.

The oil would be released into the ocean over about a two hour period. The MPCC is led by Permanent Secretary for Environment Dr. James Burnett-Herkes and Transport Minister the Hon. Maxwell Burgess.

Mr. Simons said: "Government has authorised the MPCC to enter into discussions with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the US and Canadian Coast Guards to lay down provisions for the experiment, which would be conducted in what is our exclusive fishing zone.'' The Minister said local environmental protection organisations had been consulted after the proposal was made last year.

And all had said they would not object to the experiment as long as there was no harm to residents, marine and bird life.

Among those agencies were the Bermuda Zoological Society, Audubon Society, Keep Bermuda Beautiful, the National Trust environmental marine committee and the Bermuda Biological Station for Research and its science faculty.

The Aquarium's Natural History Museum curator Dr. Wolfgang Sterrer and Government Conservation officer Dr. David Wingate have also not opposed the experiment.

Trust environmental marine committee chairman Mr. Stephen Cook confirmed members did not object to the experiment being conducted, provided there was minimum risk to the marine environment.

"When you look at the details you can see the benefits,'' he said. However, there were concerns about possible air pollution (soot and oil droplets) if the experiment was not conducted in the right winds, he said. But he was confident the concerns would be addressed by the parties involved.

Dr. Burnett-Herkes admitted at the briefing that his initial reaction to the proposal was one of disbelief.

But after examining the advantages and the disadvantages, he warmed to the request.

Scientists wanted to conduct the experiment here because of the Island's warm waters, he said.

They had already conducted the experiment successfully in cold waters off Newfoundland, Canada.

On-site oil burning could be the world's most efficient clean-up method for disastrous oil spills, and Bermuda would have played a pivotal role, Dr.

Burnett-Herkes said.

"It would be the easiest thing in the world to just say no and walk away from the proposal,'' he said.

Most people would immediately ask, why let them use Bermuda's waters when they had warm waters off Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to conduct the experiment in, Dr. Burnett-Herkes noted.

The reason, he said, was the "unique training opportunity in a new oil spill countermeasure''.

Bermuda could easily send two representatives to watch the experiment in another part of the world, he said. But the local people who would have to carry out the measure in the event of a real oil spill and would not get hands-on experience.

Other advantages, said spill expert Dr. Tom Sleeter were: Establishment of important governmental and institutional contacts; It would add to Bermuda's scientific excellence; and International publicity on radio, television and in science magazines.

"We are not out to make money,'' Dr. Burnett-Herkes said, although there could be revenues gained from granting licences to viewing boats.

The disadvantages were public perception, potential for environmental impact and something going wrong.

But Dr. Sleeter said if all necessary precautions were taken, the only impact would be visual -- huge black smoke plumes.

The oil and flames would not harm fish as waters one inch and more below would stay the same temperature.

And the experiment would be conducted when winds were blowing away from the Island and taking into account the currents.

And it would be conducted at summer's end when there are hardly any birds around.

An hour or so of black smoke was better than months to years of oil covered shorelines and the destruction or vegetation and marine life.