Milford Haven

Seaport in Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales, on the estuary of the east and west Cleddau rivers 13 km/8 mi southwest of Haverfordwest; population (2001) 13,100. It has oil refineries, and a terminal for giant tankers linked by pipeline with Llandarcy, near Swansea. There is a fishing industry.

The town was originally founded by a colony of Quaker whalers from Nantucket in Massachusetts, USA, as a whaling centre. Later it became a naval dockyard (afterwards moved to Pembroke Dock) and was used as a naval base in both world wars. The natural harbour, one of the finest in the world, runs inland for some 35 km/22 mi and varies in breadth from 1.5–3.5 km/1–2.2 mi with a depth of 29–37 m/95–121 ft. It can accommodate ships of 275,000 tonnes. Development of Milford Haven as a major oil port began in 1957, and it has become the largest oil-importing port in the UK. The Milford Haven Conservancy Board has been set up to control navigation in the harbour.