Nine staff members are to be made redundant following a review of operations at the Port of Milford Haven.

The news comes as the port is reviewing the structure of its core operations and has announced a number of changes to improve the responsiveness and efficiency of the business.

A statement said on Tuesday: "Regrettably, these changes include nine redundancies among launch crew staff, seven of which are voluntary."

The statement continued: "Changing patterns in international energy markets mean that, over time and irrespective of the operational impacts of Murco, cargos to and from the port have been shipped using larger, fewer vessels. Additionally, the pattern of trade is more volatile bringing with it the need for more flexible operating structures whereby the cost of operations can be more closely matched to the peaks and troughs of shipping activity within any month or week.

"Following a period of joint working with Unite and the port's launch crews, revised manning and operational procedures have been developed and agreed to ensure that the port will continue to be able to operate two launch boats simultaneously, when warranted by the number of shipping calls; based on having one permanently manned boat and one boat manned on an as-needed basis. Manning levels on any operational boat will remain unchanged. Overall, there is not expected to be any impact on the service levels provided within the deep sea operation, and the high standards of safe operation within the port will be unaffected.

"There have also been changes amongst senior management. Corporate affairs director and former harbourmaster Mark Andrews will be retiring after 20 years with the port. He will also be stepping down as an executive board member. Deep sea director Dick Moore has retired, and Tudor Symmonds has also retired after 24 years working at the port. Their posts will be not be refilled and the group will move forward with two executive board members for the time being."

Making the announcement, Alec Don, chief executive of the Port of Milford Haven, said: "Throughout this process of restructuring, ensuring the continued safe operation of Britain's third largest port will remain our biggest priority. We have been working closely with Unite during the consultation period for the launch crew redundancies and will continue to provide the same high standard of service that our customers expect. We sincerely regret the changes will lead to some redundancies, however the port will be a stronger more flexible operation as a result, which is very much a necessity."

Mr. Don continued: "Whilst we remain a busy port, we are focusing on expanding the Haven's role as a key location for fabrication and servicing for the renewable energy industry. We are also working with our partners to further develop the Haven as a destination for leisure and tourism. The £70m redevelopment of Milford Marina and Docks represents a major investment which, we believe will transform the economy of Milford Haven, and will have substantial potential benefits for the region, including, over time, the creation of 600 new jobs."