PROSECUTION CONFIRMS PORT AUTHORITY’S COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENT

Milford Haven Port Authority has confirmed its determination to maintain the quality of the environment following its successful prosecution of the owners of an oil tanker which allowed up to 1,800 litres of diesel to spill into the waterway.

Singapore-based Chartering Venture PTE Ltd was fined £15,000 after pleading guilty at Haverfordwest magistrates court to the discharge of ultra low sulphur diesel from its 76,000 tonne oil tanker Venture following an incident in September.

The spillage occurred as the tanker was discharging its cargo at the Petroplus terminal, to the east of Milford Haven, and resulted in much of the light diesel oil coming ashore on the nearby beach at Hazelbeach.

Although the oil in the water quickly dispersed, an expensive clean-up operation had to be mounted for several days to clear the deposits on the beach.

Milford Haven Port Authority prosecuted the tanker’s owners under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1995, and chief executive Ted Sangster said the decision to do so reflected the seriousness with which the organisation took its environmental responsibilities.

“Whilst we are a commercial business which has a key objective of developing the economy here, we are also custodians of this very beautiful part of Pembrokeshire,” he said.

“This was a bad spill, and there was no question that we would prosecute. We want to ensure that every ship owner takes with the utmost seriousness their duty to operate their vessels in a safe, clean manner.”

The vessel’s managers, International Tanker Management Ltd., Dubai, have conducted a review of their procedures and provided the Port Authority with the necessary improvements.

“We want to work in a positive way with the businesses that use our facilities here,” said Mr Sangster. “I am pleased that Chartering Venture agreed to co-operate and accept the help and expertise that we can offer to make their operations safer still.”