A fuel leak at Ferry Reach has left land on either side of Ferry Road soaked in kerosene The Royal Gazette has learned.

And there are concerns that the fuel has penetrated caves in the area and the waters of Richardson's Bay.

An environmental assessment is currently underway to determine the extent of environmental damage and the best approach for cleaning up the spill.

Last week, The Royal Gazette reported that residents in the Ferry Reach area were complaining of a foul smell coming from Richardson's Bay and believed that a fuel spill may have been the cause.

However, while Shell general manager John Vickerman confirmed that there have in fact been two leaks in the area since September, he said the cause of the smell from the bay has yet to be determined.

Mr. Vickerman said a joint effort was underway between the Ministry of Environment, the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, Esso and Shell to try and identify the source of the stench.

"It was agreed last week that we would take investigative action to identify the cause,'' he said. "When that's clear it will steer our course on what steps need to be taken.'' But he said there was no definitive link at this point between a kerosene leak which occurred last September or a jet fuel leak in December and the offensive odour.

The kerosene leak occurred in an underground pipeline which runs under Ferry Road and Richardson's Bay, transporting fuel to the airport. The leak was in a portion under the road on the left-hand side.

Mr. Vickerman said he did not know how much fuel had leaked into the area before the hole was found and he was "not sure'' whether fuel had reached caves in the area.

He said the leak was stemmed within four days and that Shell has hired consultants to determine the extent of the leak and what corrective actions should be taken.

But he said, despite the leak occurring eight months ago, Shell has only received a preliminary report on the damage.

Mr. Vickerman said Shell had appraised Government of the situation and was working closely with the Health Ministry and the Ministry of the Environment.

"There is absolutely no health risk,'' he said. Nor, he said, is the fuel a threat to wildlife in the area.

He declined to reveal the name of the consultants hired to conduct the environmental assessment, but said he would know more about the volume lost and damages after their full report was received. "Then we'll discuss the report with Government and agree on what action will be taken,'' said Mr.

Vickerman. "It's the right thing to do. All the right actions will be taken and Shell will do whatever it takes to put right the wrong. Shell has been very transparent throughout the process.'' Although the leak occurred in Shell's pipeline, it is believed the fuel has seeped into land belonging to Esso on either side of the road.

"It's very likely it's migrated onto Esso's property,'' Esso general manager Ed Edelson told The Royal Gazette . And he said that Esso was "very concerned'' about both the spill and the foul odour emanating from the area.

Mr. Edelson agreed, at this point, the smell had not been linked to the fuel spill, but said Esso was "anxious'' to see the results of Shell's report.

"We know Shell to be a competent company with many international resources they can be using to deal with this situation,'' said Mr. Edelson.

Beauty spot fuel spill fear after pipeline leakage "There's also a suspicion it may be related to sewage,'' he added. "We think the report will be very important toward getting to the bottom of what's causing the smell. We don't know at this point.'' Mr. Vickerman also confirmed that there had been a jet fuel leak in Richardson's Bay in December. The Royal Gazette reported last week that leak had been seen by local residents and was quickly mended.

"We immediately investigated and located the hole,'' said Mr. Vickerman. "We took the pipeline out of service immediately and made corrective action.'' The pipeline was raised out of the water and new sections were welded on.

"The installation has been there for decades,'' said Mr. Vickerman. "At times there are spillages and action is taken to correct them.'' He said that Shell had divers checking the pipelines and they are periodically tested.

Last night Environment Minister Terry Lister told The Royal Gazette said that environment officer Dr. Tom Sleeter and Dr. Kent Simmons of the Biostation were working on the problems at Richardson's Bay together.

He said he understood that a report was being prepared by Shell and Government would be following it up.

"What I would be concerned about is if we found an ongoing problem in terms of fuel continually spilling,'' said Mr. Lister. "When we talk I'll want to discover whether this is an ongoing clean-up or we're looking at ongoing spills. Those are very different situations which require very different actions.''