A group of 30 employees from Government, Regiment and local oil companies are currently participating in a two-day training session on coping with marine pollution.

Yesterday the group went over procedures for dealing with oil spills including organisational command structures and practical plans for what the clean-up teams would do on site.

Dr. Tom Sleeter is the Chairman of the Marine Pollution Committee and will be conducting the training sessions along with Allan Doughty of Sper Limited and overseas instructor Henrik Jensen from R.O. Clean.

"This annual session will be used to upgrade the teams that are the first to respond to an oil spill and to train staff who are new to the participating departments and organisations," Dr. Sleeter said.

While yesterday's training included classroom lectures today's work will be completely hands-on.

The participants will spend the bulk of the day at Dockyard undergoing practical exercises.

"The participants will handle the equipment and set the boom around the cruise ship berthed at Dockyard," Dr, Sleeter said. "It will be complete training for all participants."

In other marine pollution news, an overseas researcher is looking for people in Bermuda who can conduct shore debris surveys.

David Barnes, a marine biologist at British Antarctic Survey, recently published an article in "Nature" based on a ten-year study of human litter washed ashore on 30 remote islands around the globe.

Mr. Barnes found that marine organisms travelling on discarded plastic items and other human-generated rubbish are invading Antarctica and other remote islands and threatening native species.

Mr. Barnes is now expanding his project to include Bermuda as well as Andamans, Ille Amsterdam, Chagos, Clipperton, Cocos/Christmas, Gilbert, Midway, Society, Socotra, Trinidad and Wake.

Mr. Barnes can be contacted by e-mail at dkab+bas.ac.uk.