South Hook LNG Terminal Company Ltd, working closely with Qatargas and with ship owners & operators, has taken significant steps to address concerns of a number of residents, who reside near to the South Hook LNG Terminal in Milford Haven, about noise emanating from some of the ships that berth at the terminal.

These steps have included a phased upgrading of silencers on fourteen Q-Max and Q-Flex vessels which have visited South Hook in the past.

Two phases of silencer upgrading are now complete, in which a total of eight Q-Flex vessels were modified by the owners & operators of the vessels concerned. In the ongoing third phase, six Q-Max vessels are being upgraded.

Completion of this phase is scheduled for mid July 2010.

The upgrading programme has been followed by the implementation of a successful ship-rescheduling transition period, plus an ongoing noise monitoring and evaluation process in order to identify any potential impact of ship noise on the environment.

South Hook and Qatargas are also working closely with the local Port Health Authority and other relevant parties in response to the local residents' concerns, and will continue to keep local residents informed of developments as they arise.