A cargo ship spilling oil into the ocean was last night asked to move away from the Island, a Harbour Radio spokesman said last night.

Although divers discovered damage to the hull of the Atlantic Forest , they were unable to repair the ship before darkness.

As a result, the 262-metre ship moved some 25 miles east of Bermuda to "ensure the safety of the environment and shoreline''.

Earlier in the day Emergency marine officials were called in to investigate a mile-and-a-half long oil spill from the ship as it was anchored in the east end.

But favourable wind and weather conditions were last night pushing the slick away from the Island's coast, said Tom Sleeter, chairman of the Marine Pollution Contingency Committee.

"We are very fortunate that the oil slick is moving offshore because of winds and we are not anticipating a clean-up response at this time,'' he continued.

"This is a thin surface slick and we don't anticipate the chemicals will pose any problems to fish and marine life.'' Dr. Sleeter said the Liberian-registered barge carrier reported a leakage around noon.

It was anchored off Great Head to complete the loading of barges previously off-loaded from its badly-damaged sister ship Green Island .

Green Island is currently in Dockyard undergoing repairs to a gaping hole in her hull.

However, high swells and rough seas forced a temporary halt in Atlantic Forest's loading and a mysterious oil leak -- believed to be fuel -- began soon after.