Milford Haven could become the UK's third busiest port with LNG

BBC Wales' Manylu programme obtained best practice guidance suggesting a terminal near Milford Haven may be unsuitable for huge LNG tankers.

The port authority said there had been risk assessments to regulate and manage ships and pilots had more training.

It also said it believed its sites would meet safety criteria.

Manylu (BBC Radio Cymru, 1800 BST, Thursday and Sunday, 23 and 26 June) reports that the concerns relate to the location of the jetties and the terminals being constructed near Waterston village and South Hook.

LNG marine terminals should be sited away from port fairways used by other ships Extract from advisory guidance

The tankers which will import the LNG will be moored at these jetties, and the Health and Safety Executive is responsible for assessing the risks on the shore.

No similar body exists to assess risks for the marine-based side of this operation, and the tankers' safety is a matter for Milford Haven Port Authority and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (Sigtto) provides guidance for any company planning to build LNG terminals or jetties, and Manylu obtained its guidance suggesting South Hook terminal may be unsuitable for the tankers.

Pinchpoint

The guidance said LNG marine terminals "should be sited away from port fairways used by other ships.... in a remote area of a port devoid of other developments... locations that already attract other craft including pleasure craft and fishing vessels are inherently unsuitable for LNG terminals".

Sigtto is not a statutory body, but offers only guidance.

However, Manylu spoke to two former pilots who used to work in the Haven who voiced serious concerns about the South Hook terminal, and said it was in an area known as pinchpoint.

The former pilots said all there would be an unacceptable risk if all the traffic entering the harbour had to pass by an LNG ship berthed at a jetty.

The project is very important to UK plc E-mail comment by DTI official

Port authority chief executive Ted Sangster replied to the programme by e-mail to say it had undertaken a number of risk assessments to help regulate LNG ships when they start to use the port.

Mr Sangster also said pilots' extra specialist training would enable them to deal with LNG tankers and he believed both sites would meet Sigtto criteria.

He also told the programme that the port authority had no say in the selection of sites.

Manylu also obtained some evidence that the UK government took an interest in the developments when the planning applications were submitted.

The programme used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain part of an e-mail conversation between the Department of Trade and Industry and the Health and Safety Executive in March 2004.

In the e-mail exchange, an un-named DTI official said "the project is very important to UK plc" and that the DTI had been "working hard to secure the necessary regulatory consents from the European Commission."

John Davies, leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, denied there was pressure from the UK government, and that it was purely a local decision.

Mr Davies told the programme that the council considered all the risks associated with the project before granting planning permission.

But a group of local resident called Safe Haven plan to make a submission for judicial review of these planning decisions in the High Court in July.