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The Conversation
Ian Williams, Professor of Applied Environmental Science, University of Southampton

Three decades on from Wales’ biggest oil spill, how the Sea Empress disaster changed shipping

Volunteers cleaning Tenby's Harbour Beach after the oil spill in 1996. Scott Grant, CC BY-NC-ND

I grew up on the beaches of Pembrokeshire in south-west Wales. Visits to Tenby were my family’s summer ritual: sand between our toes, paddling in rockpools, strawberry syrup on ice cream.

But 30 years ago, I vividly remember walking along Tenby’s North Beach with my mother and grandmother. No crowds. No laughter. Just the hush of waves sliding over dark, tar‑smudged sand. The holiday postcards had gone grey.

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