SALVAGE CODE RED

February, 1996, The Sea Empress grounds in Milford Haven, West Wales

Travelling to the super Texaco Refinery in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, West Wales, in February, 1996, the Sea Empress grounded at the entrance to the harbour. The resulting oil spill – 72,000 tonnes – caused a major environmental disaster in an environmentally-sensitive area. The Pembrokeshire coast is well known for its wildlife and is the only coastal area in Britain to have national park status. Over 3,500 dead sea birds were washed ashore, with a similar number found alive but covered in oil. The spill polluted more than 200 km. of coastline and cost £60 million to clean up; many local volunteers were involved in the clean-up effort. The rescue operation for the Sea Empress was hampered by weather and the ship ran aground a total of three times before finally being refloated. Half of the Sea Empress’s total oil was lost in the incident.