Pressure group sets up camp metres from LNG jetty (From Milford Mercury)

Safe Haven steps up pressure at Stack Rock Fort

3:49pm Tuesday 10th February 2009 in News

On the same day that they made public the findings of an independent expert report, LNG campaign group Safe Haven unveiled an 80 foot banner just metres from the South Hook LNG terminal.

The huge banner reads "Safe Haven: put public safety first why hide the facts? Release the LNG safety reports now! Release the emergency plans now!". It has been rigged across Stack Rock Fort next to the South Hook jetty.

The supertanker carrying the first shipment of LNG has left Qatar and is expected to arrive in Milford Haven this month.

Safe Haven say that they are in the process of taking out a two year lease on the fort, which is privately owned by a Milford Haven businessman, and have all sorts of plans for its future including setting up a webcam and a website and erecting a new and improved banner in the near future.

Safe Haven spokesman Gordon Main said that the pressure group has a 24 hour a day presence on the CADW protected fort and will use it to further their campaign for openness and accountability by the port authority and the LNG companies, especially regarding the marine based side of LNG operations in Milford Haven.

He said that the presence of the group on the fort was also to highlight the findings of an independent experts report commissioned by Safe Haven, which concluded that no marine based risk assessment into LNG has been carried out.

"There are unanswered questions here and that's not good enough," said Mr Main. "Is this safe?We are still, after four years, asking the port authority to ask and answer that question regarding the marine side of the operation.

"We feel a public duty to keep doing this. The answers are not being given. We are all doing this as private citizens at our own expense to try and make sure that the residents of Milford Haven are safe. We won't stop until we've done this."

Milford Haven Port Authority said: "A comprehensive range of professional risk assessments have been undertaken. As well as making use of work carried out or commissioned by others, we have ourselves undertaken or commissioned from experts many risk assessments as part of the process of determining the way in which we will regulate and manage LNG ships.

"This myriad of separate but interlocking risk assessments, information gathering exercises and training have determined how we will manage and control LNG shipping safely along with all other shipping and leisure craft movements in the port."