THE PORT OF MILFORD HAVEN has hit back after a County Councillor criticised their plans for the shipping of waste out of Pembroke Port – saying that this time their operation will be different.
Last week Councillor Paul Dowson said that he did not want to see a new waste operation in his ward, saying it would have a negative impact in the community.
In response the interim CEO of the Port of Milford Haven has made moves to reassure residents.
Andy Jones told The Herald: “Our application for a permit to temporarily store and ship out waste from Pembroke Port is a collaborative project that would involve us receiving refuse from waste management companies. These would then be loaded on to ships and transported out from the Port.
“This will not be the same operation as before. Under no circumstance would we allow this project to result in any negative impacts to our neighbouring residents, businesses nor indeed the environment in which we work. In 2017, a third party waste company ran the operation and it is important to clarify the differences between that operation and ours; previously waste was processed on site; this time we would be receiving already processed and baled waste.
“We are firmly rooted in Pembrokeshire as a business and everything we do is for the benefit of our wide range of stakeholders. As a Trust Port, we exist to create opportunities for the people and businesses of Pembrokeshire – we are a catalyst for economic growth and our mission is to build prosperity across the Haven. Our staff are also local people, many of them living near the Port and very much part of the community. We would never apply for a permit for a project if we doubted our ability to deliver it well. As a Port, we play a crucial role in handling and shipping materials vital to the day-to-day functioning of our nation. We are very proud of Pembroke Port’s historical significance as a Dockyard, and we are simply trying to expand trade to increase our abilities as a Port, and provide more jobs for the local community. But, we are in competition with other Ports who transport the same waste bales generated across the UK. We must be able to compete with these Ports or jobs will be lost to those areas that are able to deliver the services needed in today’s society.
“We have completed extensive research into this process, including visits to other Ports, and we will be adopting the best practise as recommended by the experienced handlers with whom we have met.
“We will be implementing a series of mitigation techniques including the bales being wrapped a minimum of 8 times amongst many more.
Readers who would like to find out more about our proposed operation, or if you have any questions can call the Port.
A spokesperson said: “Please do not hesitate to get in touch, we are more than happy to help. Our contact number us 01646 696 100, please ask for Andy Jones or Chris Oliver, our Quayside Operations Manager, and we will endeavour to answer your queries.”
