CLAIMS by British government officials that oil slicks from the tanker are dispersing rapidly were dismissed last night by conservationists. The National Trust said its beaches 40 miles away faced a serious threat from the oil, which bird reserve warden, Mr Simon Smith, said "looks like whipped up chocolate mousse".
The Sea Empress, finally towed by 12 tugs to a disused jetty at Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, six days after it first went aground nearby, was being prepared for days long operation to pump out the remaining oil.
It said oil would come ashore in Carmarthen Bay, poisoning birds and billions of shellfish which would jeopardise the food chain and local fishermen's livelihoods.
Trust regional director, Mr Peter Mitchell, said "Whole communities are under threat. The long term effects on both wildlife and the landscape are likely to be serious."
Two hundred people are involved in clearing beaches. Out at sea, oil control vessels and aircraft are using chemical dispersants on the oil, which has stretched along over 60 miles of coastline.
It is believed the Sea Empress has lost 65,000 tonnes of oil but only 600 tonnes of liquid oil and 650 tonnes of solid oil material have been recovered so far.
Special pumps to remove the remaining 25,000 tonnes of oil from the vessel's tanks have arrived at Milford Haven in preparation for the transfer of the cargo to another tanker, the Star Bergen, within 36 hours.
Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that the pilot on board the Sea Empress tanker when it ran aground off Milford Haven had radioed the port authority with an urgent message to say the vessel had lost steerage minutes before it ran aground.
Within 15 minutes of the pilot joining the vessel and sending the call for help the vessel grounded and began spilling oil. Details of the call have been given to the marine inspectors investigating the incident.
But yesterday, Capt Peter Cooney, the managing director of the ship's managers, Acomarit, based in Glasgow, claimed there been no mechanical failure on board. He said the ultimate responsibility lay with the master and pilot. He said "It is with these two gentlemen that we shall find the problems"
The pilot has been identified as Capt Jonathan Arnold, and the Russian master was Eduard Bolgov.
The government yesterday ordered a widening of the inquiry into the Sea Empress disaster to include salvage operations, as Sir George Young, Secretary of State for Transport, was accused in the Commons of "appalling complacency".
Disclosing that he had asked the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents to extend the scope of his investigation, Sir George said it was "all too easy" to criticise the salvage efforts from the comfort of an armchair or studio. "Nonetheless, for all their herculean efforts the vessel remained stranded for five days and some 65,000 tonnes of oil have been spilt," he said in a statement to MPs. "We must find out why."
Ms Claire Short, the Shadow Transport secretary, dismissed the investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB,) as not an adequate response and called for an independent inquiry.
In Milford Haven yesterday inspectors from the MAIB were gathering evidence. Already a number of key theories on how the ship became stranded on rocks at St Anne's Head have been forwarded to the inspectors. The adequacy of Milford Haven's marine accident plan, according to sources, will feature prominently in the inquiry.
Since it was privatised 10 years ago the number of tugs has been cut from eight to four, and the number of pilots employed to guide vessels through waters has been halved from 12 to six.
They now work alone instead of in couples, and they are also sent to meet ships much closer to the port. This leaves the pilots far less margin to correct errors that may have been made on the ship's way into the port.
There is also concern that the £10 million radar that covers the area, installed in 1985, has no been working properly since September.