Vegetation clearance and ongoing land management
Dragon LNG - Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.
August & September 2010 - on….

The Dragon LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) import, storage and regasification terminal is situated on the shores of the Milford Haven Waterway in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, alongside the only Coastal National Park in the UK. Completed in July 2009, the terminal receives LNG transported on large container ships from around the world and is capable of processing and supplying up to 20% of the UK’s national requirement.

However, its coastal location, combined with this year’s dry summer, meant that some of the land surrounding the terminal had become over-run with weeds and vegetation. Occupying an area next to the National Park, Dragon LNG is eager to ensure that its land is maintained to a high standard and therefore, called in Spencer to deal with the infestation of invasive plants.

Dealing with this sort of issue is a regular occurrence for Spencer and, having quickly assessed the scale of the problem, its team went in. The first task was to cut down and spray the weeds, gorse and other unwanted vegetation. Then, with some sections on steep slopes and banks that are even difficult to traverse on foot, Spencer brought in its versatile Reform Alpine tractor - without front flail - mower, a machine that capable of dealing with just this kind of terrain.

Spencer then left the site for a month before going back to clear up the remains of the wilted plants and went on to return the land back to bare soil. Pleased with the work that has been carried out, Dragon LNG has subsequently awarded Spencer a two-year contract to manage and maintain the area to a zero-vegetation level and therefore avoid any possibility of problems, such as fire breaking out during dry spells.

Due to the security surrounding this site, Spencer was unable to take any photographs of its team in action. Therefore, besides the main image that has been provided by Dragon LNG, the two smaller photos show the Reform Apine tractor mower in action during another of Spencer’s ground-maintenance operations.