Frequently Asked Questions
In terms of shipping, we handled 1,957 commercial vessels in 2022. The amount of cargo that was transported in 2022 was 38.9 million tonnes.
Geographically, we cover 22 miles of Waterway.
You can see which ships are visiting the Port on our Live Information page.
On any given day the Waterway sees a wide range of users. From dinghies and fishing boats to a twice daily ferry and supertankers. One of the largest ever to call at the Port was the LNG carrier, Tembek, at 315m length overall and 50m beam.
As a Trust Port, we re-invest any profits back into the business. This ensures we can maintain our principal operations and deliver projects that will create jobs, support economic growth and deliver a bright outlook for the region.
Yes. We have three key programmes:
- Port Charity: Every three years we choose a charity to support.
- Community Fund: Administered by our employees, the community fund provides support for local groups.
- Green Energy Fund: Helps local groups improve their environmental sustainability.
Discover more about Community Support.
For the scale of our business and the impact it has on the regional and national economy, we are quite a small team of around 200.
We have a wide range of stakeholders. The most obvious are the communities based on and around the Milford Haven Waterway and the businesses that rely on us for trade. Sometimes that’s direct trade, but it’s also indirect and can be from businesses well beyond the Waterway. Stakeholders also include regulatory bodies, Welsh and UK Governments and local councils. Our stakeholders can sometimes be less obvious, such as future generations and wildlife, to ensure the decisions we make have a positive impact on them.
We are both depending on the context.
We started life as the Milford Haven Conservancy Board in 1958, changing to the Milford Haven Port Authority in 1987. The Milford Haven Port Authority remains our legally registered name, but we trade as the Port of Milford Haven.
About Governance and Reporting
A Trust Port is an independent body, governed by a specific Act or Acts of Parliament.
In the UK, there are private ports, trust ports and municipal authority ports. We are a Trust Port. We have no shareholders or owners. We do not pay dividends to third parties; neither do we receive direct budgetary support from government.
Find out more about how we are governed.
Find out more about trust ports.
Our statutory duties are to:
- Regulate and maintain navigation.
- Prevent or reduce the discharge of oil, or the risk of discharge of oil into the Waterway.
- Provide and operate port and harbour services in, or in the vicinity of, the Waterway.
- Preserve natural beauty.
- Conserve flora, fauna and geological features.
- Ensure an easy passage through the Waterway for ascending salmon and sea trout.
We were brought into existence by The Milford Haven Conservancy Act 1958. The following Acts and Harbour Revision Orders form our constitution. Together, they define what we may or may not do, and how we must govern ourselves in terms of appointing a Board and conducting our affairs. The Acts confer certain powers on the Port within the defined port limits, for example in relation to setting the rules for navigation, the power for directing vessels and powers of compulsory acquisition. It also confers obligations, such as the obligation to maintain, improve, protect and regulate navigation, and rights, such as the right to levy charges.
Our Acts:
- Milford Haven Conservancy Act 1958
- Milford Haven Conservancy Act 1983
- Milford Haven Port Authority Act 1986
- Milford Haven Port Authority Harbour Revision Order 2000
- Milford Haven Port Authority Act 2002
- Milford Haven Port Authority Harbour Revision Order 2012
In addition to these Acts and Orders, The Milford Docks Company as a subsidiary company of the Port is governed by The Milford Docks Act 1874 (as amended) which sets out its statutory powers and duties.
Byelaws on the Milford Haven Waterway.
You can report an environmental concern or incident using our reporting form.
Yes. This is reviewed on an annual basis and can be viewed here. In addition to this policy, and the progression of the internal environmental management system, we follow environmental legislation, regulations, and designations. And, in order to uphold our environmental responsibilities, we regularly engage with UK and Welsh Governments, regulators and port sector environmental colleagues.
