and is well within international standards, according to the Tourism Minister.

However, the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge pledged that neither his department or the ship's owners were "taking the matter lightly'' and were working hard to identify a solution.

Last week residents at Convict Bay, a few hundred yards from where the Royal Majesty berths in St. George, complained about vibrations from the ship which they claimed kept them awake and even shook pictures off walls.

They have started a petition and are exploring the possibility of legal action to force Majesty Cruise Line, the ship's owners, into taking action to stop the vibrations.

The Tourism and Environment Ministries, plus the cruise line, are all working together to find a solution and tests have been carried to discover the extent of the noise pollution. Results are still pending.

Tests have were also been undertaken in America and talks have taken place with the ship's builders in Finland in an effort to discover the source of the noise.

The possibility of modifying the generators exhaust system by adding silencers is also being examined.

Yesterday, Mr. Woolridge revealed an expert from Lloyd's of London was being brought in by Majesty Cruise Line to give a further assessment of the problem.

"I wish to assure the people of St. George's, and indeed the rest of Bermuda, that neither the department nor the ship's owners are taking this matter lightly,'' said Mr. Woolridge.

"From the very first complaint, several Government departments including Tourism, have worked diligently to identify the problem and find an acceptable solution.'' He said: "I should point out that the noise is well within international standards and is not experienced in any other ports which the Royal Majesty serves.

"It would appear that the problem might not be one of noise, but frequency or pitch.'' Residents at Convict Bay said they believed some of the problem may be caused because their homes back onto a rock face, almost forming a natural amphitheatre.