Gulf Refinery

The world-wide increase in demand for petroleum products led the Gulf Oil Company to look at suitable sites to locate an oil refinery in the UK. A suitable site was found at Waterston, between Neyland and Milford Haven.

In September 1966 the site at Waterston was commissioned for the building of an oil refinery along with a jetty running out into the deep water of the Milford Haven Waterway.

The refinery was completed in May 1968 and shortly after, the first tanker unloaded crude and production began. It was not until the 10th August 1968 that the Royal Yacht 'Britannia' anchored in the Haven carrying Queen Elizabeth II who officially opened the refinery.

During the first few years of the Gulf oil refinery being in operation, the people of the nearby village of Waterston objected to the noise and smells coming from the neighbouring refinery. It all came to a head in 1972 when a large proportion of the villagers requested to be re-housed. Threats of plant closure were raised, but the company were able to adjust working practices and relations improved.

The site of the Gulf oil refinery included a petro-chemical section which was used to produce benzene and cylcohexane. However, during the 1970's the UK demand for petro-chemical products was greatly exceeded by the supply, thus causing a surplus of such products. This led to Gulf closing the plant at Waterston.

In 1998 the site was acquired by Petroplus. The Tank Storage facility is now owned by SEM Group and a large part of the site is currently being developed into a Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal by a partnership comprising BG Group, Petronas and 4Gas.