LNG to arrive at Milford Haven on Tembek - to World War II alarms

We first notified readers on Friday, January 30, 2009 Qatari LNG gas to arrive in South Wales, real soon now of the expected arrival (some time) of LNG gas in Wales.... 7 weeks later.

It looks as though it might arrive this week.

The Korean-built LNG tanker Tembek can hold more than 200,000 cubic metres of LNG cooled to -161ºc will finally moor at South Hook LNG jetty Milford Haven(Wales biggest port) - probably on Saturday at South Hook 1 at 600 am (Website ship arrivals) - it was originally planned for the first week in February.


Where it will be greeted with planned protests by Safe Haven pressure group (Safe Haven at PO Box 27, Robert Street Post Office, Milford Haven SA73 1WZ ) who plan to sound a World War Two air raid siren to draw attention to the report they commissioned from expert Dr Raymond Anthony Cox, He states that Milford Haven Port Authority has: "Exaggerated the scope and findings of the studies they have commissioned to make it appear that a proper risk assessment of LNG cargo spills to the onshore population has been carried out on their behalf."

Milford Haven Port Authority denies this, saying that a "comprehensive range of professional risk assessments" have been carried out.

Dr Cox also says ....“The MHPA therefore gave its advice to the local planning authorities concerning the planning applications for construction of the terminals without having found out what risks were entailed for the onshore population, still less determining that these were so low as to be acceptable.”

"This will be a notice to all who live along the waterway that LNG is coming into Milford Haven," said group spokesman Gordon Main. "Despite the fact that the Pembrokeshire County Council, Pembrokeshire Coastal National Park, Milford Haven Port Authority, the Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon and the First Minister, Rhodri Morgan have all seen Dr Cox’s report yet chosen to take no action.”

Remarkably neither the Tepartment for Transport or the Maritime and Coastguard Agency had been involved in the risk assessment process at Milford Haven.

The group will test their siren between midday and 1:30 on Thursday 19th March. They say that the South Hook siren cannot be heard in the public information zone and, as the World War two siren will demonstrate, this is a "failure of will rather than a failure of technology".

Safe Haven is also planing a peaceful protest outside the port authority building, to begin at 7.30am on Friday morning. Spokesman for Safe Haven Gordon Maine says ,

" We believe, now more than ever, that there is a serious obligation on those responsible for the safety of the Haven’s residents to finally take some action.

"Accepting verbal reassurance from the port authority is no longer an acceptable approach for the county’s politicians."

Milford Haven has the potential to process 30% of the UK's gas requirements - with 25% of the UK's petrol and diesel provisions already being handled on the Waterway, Milford Haven is soon to become the new energy capital of the UK. (website)

Looks awfully like earthquake on the banner headline of the Port Authority - do they know something ?