ecological and economic disaster.

So far, it would seem that the two-mile oil spill from the Pascale Delmas has caused little damage to the Island or the marine environment. That appears to be largely because the Government and private sector's long-standing oil spill prevention measures were put in place quickly and effectively.

But it would have been quite a different story if the spill had occurred at night instead of in daylight, or if the spill's size had been much greater.

Pending the full investigation, we do not know exactly how the Pascale Delmas oil spill occurred. But it is clear that the vessel was not seaworthy when she first arrived in Bermuda. It seems that she was first supposed to be unloaded and then sent to the nearest dockyard for repairs. Instead she was allowed to complete running repairs while in Murray's Anchorage and was given permission to depart. When a ship's tank was tested to see if it was watertight, it seems there was already oil in the tank which then overflowed and spilled overboard.

Now the ship has left for Curacao and more extensive repairs. Transport Minister Ewart Brown is on the record as saying that Government will "vigorously explore the liability question and make sure that Bermuda is adequately compensated''.

It is to be hoped that the ship is now safe and seaworthy. She is too far away to do Bermuda any further damage, but should anything further happen to her, Bermuda could be held liable for that too. We will have to wait and hope.

SCHOOL ZONES School zones It should not have come as any great surprise that some of the most detailed plans in Friday's Throne Speech concerned education, as this is an area where Premier Jennifer Smith has a great deal of knowledge.

Many of the plans -- such as the proposal to hire truancy officers -- are already winning support.

The abolition of school zones cannot take effect until next September at the earliest. In theory, it should help to integrate schools and to ensure they have a good mix of talents and abilities, something that does not always happen now.

But care must be taken not to exacerbate the segregation of schools by class and race. This is a very real problem now and Government should be careful not to worsen it by ending all movement between schools.

At its best, zoning gives parents a degree of choice in selecting the best school for their children. At its worst, it puts students on buses and takes them out of their neighbourhoods, forcing them to attend schools where they have few connections.

But forcing parents to send their children to the nearest school -- even when they are unhappy with it -- could encourage further flight to the private sector and that would cause more problems for a system which already has enough.