Following severe storms that damaged over 80 vessels in Holyhead Marina in Wales, releasing over 3,000 liters of fuel and polluting nearby waters, Adler and Allan's marine response team was called in to address the environmental emergency. They launched a round-the-clock operation to contain pollutants, recover fuel and debris, and clean affected shorelines. Over three months their efforts recovered 3,000 liters of oil and fuel, 1,000 cubic meters of polystyrene, and 28 vessels, restoring the fragile marine environment.

1. Case Study
Marine Emergency Response
Marine Response
Holyhead Marina

2. The Challenge
The community looked to Adler and Allan to oversee a far-
reaching incident response, clean up, containment and recovery
operation to protect and restore Anglesey’s fragile marine
environment – and vital maritime-based economy.
Following days of hurricane force winds, more than 3,000 litres of
fuel from 80 stricken or sunken vessels clogged the marina.
Nearby waters and beaches were littered with wreckage, refuse,
and over 30 tonnes of polystyrene debris from damaged
pontoons. Continuing storms threatened to circulate the
pollutants over a wider area and further endanger coastal
residents and wildlife.
The Adler and Allan team faced an urgent, complex and
hazardous challenge to stem the spread of two major
contaminants – amid some of the most testing weather
conditions our country has ever experienced.
When Storm Emma crashed into the Welsh
coastline in March 2018, Holyhead Marina
suffered unprecedented devastation.
Marine Response

3. Our Response
Within hours of the first alert call from Wind Farm Support Vessel
Company, Adler and Allan’s Marine Response team were actively
uplifting fuel and oil from incapacitated boats. Initial containment
efforts quickly evolved into a wide-scale, round-the-clock
recovery operation following additional support requests from
Holyhead Marina and Stena Line Group, a long-standing Adler
and Allan client.
With a Tier 2 oil spill emergency now declared, the team tapped
into Adler and Allan’s nationwide fleet of specialist leading-edge
equipment. Two marine Rapid Response Vehicles (RRVs),
carrying hundreds of metres of oil absorbent and fence booms,
were deployed to work alongside the Tier 1 trailer located
permanently on site as part of our existing Stena Line contract.
An Ali workboat high-suction DISAB vacuum tanker, dedicated
marine lighting, and high-capacity booms provided additional
reinforcements, helping to efficiently capture pollutants close to
their source, both under and over the water.
The co-ordinated land clean-up procedure also ranged from the
hi-tech to the hands-on, with field teams washing individual
pieces of seaweed by hand and using rakes, shovels and
modified leaf blowers to clear polystyrene and other debris from
affected shorelines at a rate of 60m3 per day.
Less than four hours after we received the call, a
team from the Manchester depot were at the
scene and the fuel had been safely uplifted,
preventing irreversible damage to this sensitive
marine environment.
Andy Billington, Group Operations Manager
Marine Response

4. The Outcome
Despite a second severe storm, the three-month recovery project
delivered measurable results within the immediate containment
area and the wider Anglesey community. Our swift, targeted
response reduced costs and downtime for Stena Line and
Holyhead harbour, while returning the environment to a better
condition than before the crisis. In total, the operation recovered:
 3,000 litres of oil and fuel
 1,000m3 of polystyrene from the sea and surrounding beaches
 28 vessels from the shore and seabed
Adler and Allan dedicated 13,000 working hours to the Holyhead
project, following up their focused relief effort with forward-looking
guidance to tackle future incidents. A comprehensive drone
survey and full debrief exercise identified recurring themes and
areas for improvement, as well as key milestones and successes.
In turn, a series of recommendations – across co-ordination,
insurance, planning, pollution control and waste management –
were communicated to all stakeholders and the programme was
later studied by the United Nations as a blueprint for best
practice.
Marine Response

5. Comments
From day one,
agencies have been
working tirelessly on
the clean-up
operation and I want
to thank them for
their hard work and
efforts.
Lesley Griffiths, Welsh
Government minister
and Cabinet Secretary
for Energy, Planning
and Rural Affairs
With many fully or partially
submerged vessels, there was a
constant source of fuel and oil which
had to be managed. The pontoons
continued to break up adding more
debris to an area already choked with
large pieces of wreckage as well as
everything from marine flares to medical
kits, needles and syringes, not to
mention the standard everyday items
aboard every leisure and commercial
boat.
Reuben Ritchings,
Group Technical Response Manager
The Holyhead operation
was a textbook emergency
response to a potentially
disastrous marine fuel spill.
Our Marine Response teams
are in a state of permanent
readiness so they can react
immediately to this sort of
situation. It was a great relief
to get the fuel out before it
was too late.
Andy Billington,
Group Operations Manager
Marine Response

6. The Adler and Allan Difference
Adler and Allan is recognised by the International Spill Accreditation
Scheme (ISAS) as an accredited Tier 2 Oil Spill
Response Organisation (OSRO) for sheltered / enclosed waters,
coastal & large estuary and shoreline clean-up demonstrating our
preparedness to respond to marine spill events with multiple
deployments.
Our breadth of expertise, nationwide presence and fleet of specialist
equipment – from rapid responder vehicles to a fully fitted boat –
allows us to mobilise at a moment’s notice to minimise
environmental damage, economic impact, and corporate liability
claims.
 500+ dedicated professionals
 Over 5,000 qualifications throughout the group
 Uniquely validated pollution services to 50+ ports, harbours and
oil terminals
 Experienced on-scene experts, all fully trained and qualified in
every pollution response discipline
As the UK’s leading marine spill contractual responder, we’re trusted
by more than 250 organisations to safeguard life and livelihoods in
Marine Response