The Port of Milford Haven and The Crown Estate have launched a joint initiative to tackle marine fly‑tipping and the growing presence of derelict vessels in the Milford Haven Waterway, with a pilot project focused on Castle Pill. 

Castle Pill, an important tidal inlet connected directly to the main port channel, has experienced an accumulation of abandoned and improperly managed vessels alongside illegally dumped waste. These derelict vessels present significant and escalating risks to maritime safety, port operations, and the environment.

Through this collaboration, the Port of Milford Haven and The Crown Estate will deliver a coordinated approach to monitoring, enforcement, and removal including working together to prevent future fly-tipping. This initial project in Castle Pill will see the removal of at least five derelict vessels that are at immediate risk of floating free during spring tides and entering the main navigational channel, where they could directly impact navigation.

Brian Macfarlane, Harbour Patrol Officer at the Port of Milford Haven said: “Derelict vessels are a serious and unpredictable safety and environmental risk. Unlit and poorly maintained boats can break free, sink, or drift into navigational channels with little warning, endangering crews, disrupting port operations, and threatening the environmentally protected waters of the Milford Haven Waterway.”

Ryan Pratt, Coastal & Leisure Portfolio Manager at The Crown Estate added: “Caring for our marine and coastal environment is vital so future generations can continue to benefit. This partnership provides a practical, effective response to fly tipping and abandoned vessels, helping to protect sensitive habitats and the people who depend on safe, reliable waterways.”

The project forms part of a wider commitment to environmental protection, pollution prevention, and the safe management of marine assets across the Milford Haven Waterway. 


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Photo caption: Contractors (Dale Sailing) removing the derelict vessels and other items that had been fly-tipped into Castle Pill.


Notes to Editors
The Port of Milford Haven is the UK’s top energy port and Wales’ busiest port handling around 20% of Britain’s seaborne trade in oil and gas.  It is widely recognised in the industry as the energy capital of the UK.

The Port, along with the cluster of energy-related businesses along the Waterway, is a key driver of economic activity in Pembrokeshire, attracting inward investment and supporting over 4,000 jobs.

The Port of Milford Haven also owns and operates Pembroke Port and Milford Waterfront. Activities such as cargo handling, ferry operations, fish landing and cruise calls as well as a first class marina are spread across these two sites.

One of the most prominent on the West Coast, the Port is in the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only Coastal National Park in Great Britain. It is marked as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and has many areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The Port of Milford Haven is a trust port – an independent, commercially run organisation that has statutory responsibilities governed by its Acts, to maintain and improve navigation and the provision of Port and Harbour services and facilities.  Additionally, the Port provides significant financial and in-kind support to a wide variety of local causes.  All profits are retained within the business to fund these objectives.

For further information, visit www.mhpa.co.uk or contact:

Anna Malloy
Port of Milford Haven
01646 696100
anna.malloy@mhpa.co.uk