Milford Haven (harbour) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Milford Haven Waterway (Welsh: Aberdaugleddyf) is a natural harbour in Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire

Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....

, West

West Wales

West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. The Haven is a ria

Ria

A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches. This pattern is inherited from the...

or drowned valley flooded at the end of the last Ice Age

Ice age

An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...

. formed by the Pembroke River

Pembroke River

The Pembroke River flows through south Pembrokeshire, Wales and flows in to Milford Haven at Pennar Mouth.-External links:***...

and the Daugleddau estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

, and winds west to the sea. As one of the deepest natural harbours in the world, it is a busy shipping channel, trafficked by ferries

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

from Pembroke Dock

Pembroke Dock

Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard...

to Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, oil tanker

Oil tanker

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...

s and pleasure craft. Admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

Horatio Nelson, visiting the harbour with the Hamiltons, described it as the next best natural harbour to Trincomalee

Trincomalee

Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...

in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

(then Ceylon) and "the finest port in Christendom".

Early history

From the 790s until the Norman Invasion in 1066, the waterway was used occasionally by Vikings looking for shelter. During one visit in 854, the Viking Chieftain Hubba

Ubbe Ragnarsson

Ubbe, Ubba or Hubba Ragnarsson was a Norse leader during the Viking Age. Ubbe Ragnarsson was one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok and, along with his brothers Halfdan and Ivar the Boneless, a leader of the Great Danish Army....

wintered in the Haven with 23 ships, eventually lending his name to the district of Hubberston

Hubberston

Hubberston is a coastal village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It belongs to the parish of Hubberston in the historical hundred of Roose. It is located directly to the west of the larger town of Milford Haven, and is a district of the community of Milford Haven. It is adjacent to the village of Hakin. It...

. Evidence of metal working in the area was recently excavated, suggesting a level of industrialization in the period 750 - 1100.
A Benedictine priory was established at the head of Hubberston Pill in 1170, as a daughter house of St Dogmaels Abbey. Built on virgin land, it stood alongside the priory on Caldey Island

Caldey Island

Caldey Island lies south of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, Wales.The island is home to a small village, but is best known for its monastery. Caldey Island is separated from the mainland by the Caldey Sound which is 1 km to 2 km wide between Caldey Island and the coast of Pembrokeshire...

as part of the Tironian Order in West Wales, and was dedicated to St Budoc. Founded by Adam de Rupe, it stood until the Dissolution under Henry VIII

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...

. In 1171 Henry II

Henry II of England

Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

designated the area the rendezvous for his Irish expedition. An army of 400 warships, 500 kinghts and 4,000 men-at-arms gathered in the haven before sailing to Waterford

Waterford

Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...

, and on to Dublin, which marked the first time an English king had stood on Irish soil, and the beginning of Henry's invasion of Ireland. St Thomas a Becket chapel was dedicated in 1180, a structure which looked out over the Haven from the north shore of the town. In later years it was used as a beacon for sailors in foul weather, and ultimately as a pig sty, until it was reconsecrated in the 20th century.

In his play Cymbeline
Cymbeline
Cymbeline , also known as Cymbeline, King of Britain or The Tragedy of Cymbeline, is a play by William Shakespeare, based on legends concerning the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance...

Act 3, Scene 2, (1611), Shakespeare remarks that Milford is a haven:

By 1590, two forts had been constructed to defend the entrance to the harbour George Owen of Henllys, in his Description of Penbrokshire, claimed in 1603 that Milford Haven was the most famous port of Christendom. The area however was a source of anxiety for the Tudor monarchy. Due to its location, it was exposed to attacks from Ireland, a convenient base from which England could be invaded via Wales. In 1405, the French landed in force having left Brest

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

in July with more than twenty-eight hundred knights and men-at-arms led by Jean II de Rieux, the Marshal of France

Marshal of France

The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...

, in order to support Owain Glyndŵr

Owain Glyndwr

Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...

's rebellion. It was here that Henry Tudor

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....

landed with his uncle, Jasper Tudor, in 1485 before his march towards Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

, ending in the Battle of Bosworth. In April 1603, Martin Pring

Martin Pring

Martin Pring was an English explorer from Bristol, England. In 1603, under patronage of the mayor, alderman and merchants of Bristol, Pring sailed to discover the northern parts of the territory known as Virginia in America...

used the Haven as his departure point for his exploratory voyage to Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. The land comprising the site of Milford, the Manor of Hubberston and Pill, was acquired by the Barlow family following the dissolution of the monasteries

Dissolution of the Monasteries

The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...

in the mid-16th century. It acquired an additional strategic importance in the 17th century as a Royalist

Cavalier

Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...

military base. Charles I

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

ordered a fort to be built at Pill which could prevent re-enforcement of the Parliamentarian

Roundhead

"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...

garrison of Pembroke Castle

Pembroke Castle

Pembroke Castle is a medieval castle in Pembroke, West Wales. Standing beside the River Cleddau, it underwent major restoration work in the early 20th century. The castle was the original seat of the Earldom of Pembroke....

, and this was completed in 1643. On the 23 February 1644, a Parliamentarian force led by Rowland Laugharne

Rowland Laugharne

Major General Rowland Laugharne was a soldier in the English Civil War.His family came from St. Brides House, Pembrokeshire, Wales.Major-General Laugharne, Parliament's commander in south Wales during the First Civil War, sided with the insurgents and took command of the rebel army...

crossed the Haven and landed at Castle Pill. The fort was gunned from both land and water, and a garrison was placed in Steynton

Steynton

Steynton or Stainton was a parish in the hundred of Rhôs and is now an area of Milford Haven located in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It houses c.3,000 inhabitants.-History:...

church to prevent a Royalist

Cavalier

Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...

attack from the garrison at Haverfordwest

Haverfordwest

Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales and serves as the County's principal commercial and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,367 in 2001; though its community boundaries make it the second most populous...

. The fort was eventually surrendered, and quickly taken, along with St Thomas a Becket chapel. Just five years later in 1649 Milford Haven was again the site of Parliamentarian interest when it was chosen as the disembarkation site for Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

's Invasion of Ireland

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland

The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...

. Cromwell arrived in the Haven on 4 August, meeting George Monck

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...

, before Cromwell and over a hundred crafts left for Dublin on 15 August.

By the late 18th century, the two creeks which would delimit the future town of Milford's boundaries to the east and west, namely Hakin

Hakin

Hakin is a small coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It belongs to the parish of Hubberston in the historical hundred of Roose. It is located directly to the west of the larger town of Milford Haven, and is often considered a district of the latter. It has a population of 2,313 inhabitants as...

and Castle Pill, were being used as harbours for ships to load and unload coal, corn and limestone., A ferry service to Ireland operated from Hakin at the turn of the century, although this ceased in the early 19th century. Although surrounding settlements at Steynton

Steynton

Steynton or Stainton was a parish in the hundred of Rhôs and is now an area of Milford Haven located in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It houses c.3,000 inhabitants.-History:...

, Thornton

Thornton, Pembrokeshire

Thornton is a small village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is located approximately 1 mile outside of Milford Haven. It is mainly residential in nature...

, Priory, Liddeston and Hubberston

Hubberston

/Hakin were established, they were little more than hamlets. The only man-made structures on the future site of Milford were the medieval chapel, and Summer Hill Farm, and its accompanying cottages.

Coastal landscape and history

Parts of the Haven are within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is a national park along the Pembrokeshire coast in West Wales.It was established as a National Park in 1952, and is the only one in the United Kingdom to have been designated primarily because of its spectacular coastline...

. The northern side is within the Preseli Environmentally Sensitive Area. The area includes: Angle Bay, Carew and Cresswell Rivers, Cosheston Pill, Daugleddau, Gann Estuary, Pembroke River, Pwllcrochan Flats and West Williamston Quarries Sites of Special Scientific Interest; Carew

Carew, Pembrokeshire

Carew is a village, community and parish on an inlet of Milford Haven in the former Hundred of Narberth, Pembrokeshire, West Wales, 7 km east of Pembroke. The eastern part of the parish is included in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.-Description:...

, Haverfordwest

Haverfordwest

, Llangwm

Llangwm

Llangwm could be one of several places in Wales:*Llangwm, Conwy*Llangwm, Monmouthshire*Llangwm, Pembrokeshire...

, Milford Haven

Milford Haven

Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...

, Neyland

Neyland

Neyland is a town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Cleddau and the upstream end of the Milford Haven estuary. The nearby Cleddau Bridge crosses the river, linking Neyland to Pembroke Dock.-History:...

, Pembroke

Pembroke, Pembrokeshire

Pembroke is an historic settlement and former county town of Pembrokeshire in west Wales. The town and the county derive their name from that of the cantref of Penfro: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", and so it means essentially "Land's End".-History:The main point of...

and Pembroke Dock

Pembroke Dock

(Royal Dockyard) Conservation Areas.

The littoral

Littoral

The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to...

landscape of Milford Haven shows evidence of maritime conquest, settlement, commerce, fishing and defence from the 11th century to the 20th century. Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

promontory forts are sited on several of the headlands at the entrance and along the course of the Haven and the Daugleddau. Early medieval

Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...

, Christian and Viking

Viking

The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...

sites are evidenced by place-names, documentary and epigraphic evidence, such as Early Christian Inscribed Stone monuments. The Norman conquest

Norman invasion of Wales

The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright...

, achieved by coastally-sited castle boroughs, is still obvious at Pembroke, at Haverfordwest, and at Carew. Carew did not develop into a borough, but excavations have shown that a Dark Age stronghold and possible Romano-British

Romano-British

Romano-British culture describes the culture that arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest of AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, a people of Celtic language and...

site preceded the Norman castle.

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, two new towns were constructed: Milford in 1790 by Sir William Hamilton

William Hamilton (diplomat)

Sir William Hamilton KB, PC, FRS was a Scottish diplomat, antiquarian, archaeologist and vulcanologist. After a short period as a Member of Parliament, he served as British Ambassador to the Kingdom of Naples from 1764 to 1800...

, and Pembroke Dock in 1802 as the site for a new Royal Naval Dockyard

Royal Navy Dockyard

Royal Navy Dockyards are harbours where either commissioned ships are based, or where ships are overhauled and refitted. Historically, the Royal Navy maintained a string of dockyards around the world, although few are now operating today....

. Both towns have regular planned layouts, both have experienced a history of boom and slump in shipbuilding, fishing and as railheads and ocean terminals. These two towns, which could handle the larger vessels then entering service, concentrated trade that had previously been dispersed at quays, jetties and landing places and small settlements such as Pennar, Lawrenny, Landshipping and Cosheston

Cosheston

Cosheston is a village and parish in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on an inlet of the Daugleddau estuary, 3 km north-east of Pembroke. The northern part of the parish is in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Together with the parishes of Upton and Nash, it constitutes the...

further up river. These small ports served the coal mines of the Pembrokeshire Coalfield

Pembrokeshire Coalfield

The Pembrokeshire Coalfield in West Wales is one of the smallest British coalfields. The main coalfield extends from Saundersfoot on Carmarthen Bay westwards to Broad Haven on St Brides Bay...

located on both shores of the Daugleddau, and also the large limestone quarries at West Williamston. The Daugleddau ports flourished in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, but continued to work through the 19th century by changing to using barges to tranship cargoes down river to bigger vessels at the mid-Haven ports.

In the late 19th century, concerns about the potential threat posed by the French Navy prompted the construction of a number of Palmerston Forts

Palmerston Forts, Milford Haven

The Palmerston Forts around Milford Haven include:*Fort Hubberstone*Popton Fort*Scoveston Fort*South Hook Fort*Stack Rock Fort*Thorn Island Fort*Llanion Battery*Martello Towers *St Cathrine's Fort *Chapel Bay Fort...

at various strategically important coastal sites, including Milford Haven. Most of the forts are now disused. The late 20th century brought the jetties, oil terminals and shore processing facilities of the oil and power industries. This industry reached its zenith in the 1970s when Middle Eastern supply difficulties forced oil transport to use ocean routes and Very Large Crude Carriers for which the Haven, with its deep waters and westerly position, was particularly suited.

Shipping port

Milford Haven has the largest port in Wales, and the third largest port in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. Shipping operations in Milford Haven are managed by the independent Milford Haven Port Authority as a trust port. The port authority has responsibility for managing Milford Docks, Milford Marina and Pembroke Port and Ferry Terminal.

Petro Chemical

Milford Haven's association with the petro-chemical industry started with the opening of the first oil terminal and oil refinery

Oil refinery

An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...

in 1960; unfortunately this coincided with a serious oil-spill from Esso Portsmouth, the first oil tanker

Oil tanker

to unload there. Since then, there have been numerous spills of varying magnitude, providing the port authority with a great deal of experience. Uniquely at the time, the harbourmaster instituted the principle of cleaning up first and allocating the blame (and the responsibility of paying for it) later. There are two large oil refineries nearby which represent one fifth of the United Kingdom's oil refining capacity.

In 1996, it was the location of the Sea Empress

Sea Empress

The MV Sea Empress was a single-hull oil tanker that ran aground near the southwest coast of Wales in February 1996. The ensuing oil spill affected a considerable area of nearby coastline.Pembrokeshire was suffering for over a year after the incident...

oil spill, initially thought to be one of the most devastating oil tanker disasters the UK has ever seen. In the event, recovery has been surprisingly good, perhaps partly because of the very strong tides. The comparable Torrey Canyon

Torrey Canyon

The Torrey Canyon was a supertanker capable of carrying a cargo of 120,000 tons of crude oil, which was shipwrecked off the western coast of Cornwall, England in March 1967 causing an environmental disaster...

spill in 1968, a ship which had been heading to Milford Haven, affected shores further south around southern Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

and northern France, was actually far more damaging.

LNG

In light of the dwindling supplies of North Sea

North Sea

In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...

gas, Milford Haven has become home to two new LNG terminals which eventually could provide 25% of the UK's gas requirement. Under construction from 2006, South Hook

South Hook LNG terminal

South Hook LNG terminal is an LNG regasification terminal near Milford Haven and is the largest LNG terminal in Europe. Together with the smaller Dragon LNG terminal it can handle up to 25% of the UK's gas requirement. The first tanker docked on 20 March 2009....

is based on the former Esso refinery

Esso Refinery, Milford Haven

The Esso Refinery at Milford Haven was an oil refinery situated on the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales. Construction started in 1957 and the refinery was opened in 1960 by Duke of Edinburgh. Construction cost £18million and the refinery had the capacity to process 4.5million tons of crude oil a...

facility, while Dragon is based on a brownfield site. The regasified natural gas is to be fed through National Grid plc

National Grid plc

National Grid plc is a multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom and northeastern United States and it is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.National Grid is listed on...

's South Wales Gas Pipeline

South Wales Gas Pipeline

The South Wales Gas Pipeline is the UK’s largest high-pressure gas pipeline. The pipeline passing through Wales was built for the National Grid and links Dragon and South Hook liquid natural gas terminals at Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire with the national gas network at Tirley,...

to the distribution point at Tirley, Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....

. The first vessel, the Q-Flex

Q-Flex

Q-Flex is a type of ship, specifically a membrane type liquefied natural gas carrier.-Technical description:Q-Flex vessels are propelled by two slow speed diesel engines, which are claimed to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional steam turbines...

-class Tembek
Tembek
Tembek a Q-Flex ship is the first liquified natural gas carrier to berth at Milford Haven at the South Hook LNG terminal....

from Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

, docked at South Hook on 20 March, 2009.

Cruise terminal

The port authority started promoting Pembrokeshire as a cruise destination in 2003 and passenger numbers have steadily increased since then. In July 2008, the first transatlantic

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

liner

Ocean liner

An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...

, the Maasdam

MS Maasdam

MS Maasdam is a Holland America cruise ship named for a dam located on the Maas River in the Netherlands.-History:She was ordered along with her sisters MS Statendam and MS Ryndam in 1989 from Fincantieri Shipyards...

arrived in Milford Haven.

Milford Haven town

The town of Milford Haven was founded as a whaling

Whaling

Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...

centre in the 18th century, and today the town's port is the fourth largest in the United Kingdom in terms of tonnage and plays an important role in the United Kingdom's energy sector with several oil refineries and one of the biggest LNG terminals in the world. Milford Haven is the second largest settlement in Pembrokeshire, with a population of 13,100; though its community boundaries make it the most populous in the county, with 13,096 people. As a community, Milford Haven takes in the town of Milford Haven itself and the villages of Hakin

Hakin

, Hubberston

Hubberston

, Liddeston

Liddeston

Liddeston is a small coastal village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It belongs to the Milford North ward of the community of Milford Haven in the historical hundred of Roose...

, Steynton

Steynton

Steynton or Stainton was a parish in the hundred of Rhôs and is now an area of Milford Haven located in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It houses c.3,000 inhabitants.-History:...

and Thornton

Thornton, Pembrokeshire

Thornton is a small village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is located approximately 1 mile outside of Milford Haven. It is mainly residential in nature...

Power generation

As a first stage of a wave power

Wave power

Wave power is the transport of energy by ocean surface waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work — for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or the pumping of water...

plant, there will be some testing at West Dale Bay.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Early history

Coastal landscape and history

Shipping port

Petro Chemical

LNG

Cruise terminal

Milford Haven town

Power generation

Further reading

External links