Threat to LNG Supplies - news update from Eddie Proffitt

22.02.2010

"Talks are continuing tonight (Monday 22 Feb. 10) in an attempt to prevent a strike of pilots and crew at the port of Milford Haven in southwest Wales.

The Unite union plans to hold a 12-hour strike from 6 a.m. tomorrow over a pensions dispute. Talks between Unite and the Milford Haven Port Authority began at 1 pm today. The strike if it goes ahead will involve about 50 workers. Following the planned strike the pilots and crew intend to work to the letter of their contract from 7 pm tomorrow, refusing to handle ships of over 65,000 gross metric tonnes.

As LNG tankers well exceed this tonnage, deliveries to both Dragon and South Hook would be affected.

Examination of the Milford Haven Port Authority web site shows that a shipment is due at the Dragon terminal tomorrow from Trinidad and Tobago on a tanker weighing almost 120,000 gross tonnage and another delivery is due at the weekend from Qatar to South Hook in a tanker carrying more than double the volume of LNG due at Dragon."