burning experiment, which could result in the world's most efficient clean-up method for disastrous oil spills, it was learned yesterday.

But they must first gain the Bermuda Government's permission. The Environment Ministry is holding a media briefing today in an effort to educate residents about the experiment and its pros and cons.

Permanent Secretary Dr. James Burnett-Herkes disclosed the proposal came from more than one foreign government agency, including America's National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The media will be given nearly an hour of presentations on the "unusual request'', Dr. Burnett-Herkes said.

It was planned for waters about 20 miles off Bermuda, he said, and there were some risks in the event of the experiment going wrong.

"But there are also a lot of benefits,'' he said, including the Island's oil spill experts being exposed to the most adavanced techniques for fighting a spill.

Bermuda faces the danger of a potentially catastrophic oil spill all the time as it is situated in the midst of shipping lanes and is surrounded by coral reefs.

Dr. Burnett-Herkes declined to comment any further on the proposal until the briefing due to its complex nature.

The briefing takes place at 1 p.m. in the Planning Department Board Room and will include presentations by the science community.

The oil burning experiment has already been conducted off Newfoundland.

The Newfoundland Offshore Burn Experiment (NOBE), which made news headlines two years ago, took place almost without a hitch.

The idea of burning oil slicks at sea has intrigued oil clean-up managers for more than a decade, Science News reported then. But it was not until the advent of fireproof booms in the mid-`80s -- and a major spill.

On-site oil burning got a real sea trial after the March 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.

More than 10,000 gallons of crude oil were successfully burned at a relatively low cost using the method. And it caught the attention of federal agencies charged with responding to offshore oil spills.

After NOBE, scientists wanted to conduct a similar experiment in warmer waters.

They turned their attention to Bermuda because of its location and the presence of the Bermuda Biological Station for Research.

The main concerns in NOBE were smoke pollution.