Saltmarsh Features at Milford Haven 1996 - Sea Empress Survey
dataset
https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=007_4f4c4942-4343-5764-6473-313039383834
The Sea Empress released approximately 72,000 tonnes of crude oil and about 480 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in the period 15 to 21 Feb 1996 when grounded off Milford Haven and later while at the jetty. The coastline within Milford Haven was heavily oiled and a major clean-up operation was mounted. However, to avoid further damage, oil was not cleaned from the saltmarsh. Many of the affected saltmarshes in Milford Haven lie within Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and also form components of candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC) under the Habitats Directive. As part of the response to the oil spill, the former Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) now Natural Resources Wales (NRW) commissioned a damage assessment survey of impacted saltmarshes in Milford Haven. Carry o
ut an assessment of the possible damage to saltmarsh habitat and the associated scarce species Salicornia pusilla and Limonium humile affected by the Sea Empress oil spillage and to establish a base-line against which future changes may be kept under surveillance - this included mapping the saltmarshes using National Vegetation Classification (NVC) methodology. The survey also aimed to assess the levels of hydrocarbon pollution within the sediments of the affected saltmarshes.
19991231