#dunmoreeast – The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, today announced details of a €6m dredging project, which his Department has awarded for works at Dunmore East Fishery Harbour Centre. The contract to complete the works was awarded to L&M Keating Ltd. following a competitive tendering process. It is anticipated that the works will commence next month and be substantially completed by the end of September.
Whether it is a suitable harbour for a marina has been the focus of some intense debate on Afloat.ie
On making the announcement the Minister said "I am delighted to be able to announce that the much needed dredging works in Dunmore East will commence shortly following the award of the contract. The Fishery Harbour Centre at Dunmore East is an important piece of infrastructure which is the bedrock of the local community and is integral to the Governments policy to further develop our fishing industry, the wider seafood sector and indeed other ancillary and marine leisure industries."
Years of siltation in the harbour has restricted vessel traffic and made manoeuvrability and fish landings problematic for fishermen. This maintenance dredging operation will cover the harbour area itself and the entrance channel to the Harbour basin. The Minister went on to say "Today's announcement is a further indication of this Governments commitment to the fishing industry in the South East. When complete, not only will the harbour be more accessible to larger vessels, landing times and vessel management will be much improved as will the availability of the syncrolift, which is required to raise vessels to facilitate their repair and maintenance."
The volume and value of fish landings into Dunmore East have increased significantly in recent years, and the size of fishing vessels using the harbour have also increased. Currently the siltation impedes their ability to operate efficiently, while making the syncrolift unusable.
Concluding the Minister said" This is the single largest capital investment in our Fishery Harbour Centres this year, and when complete, the Dunmore East Harbour will be well equipped to attract larger Irish and foreign fishing vessels, while also benefiting other commercial and leisure harbour users. It will complement the works carried out in 2013 and 2014 to create a new and enlarged slipway for marine leisure and fisheries users and also the newly opened harbour user's facilities in the ground floor of the Harbour management Building. Those works and the new €6m dredging contract announced today will improve the utilisation of the infrastructure in Dunmore East and will help to stimulate further economic development in the area with a spin off for local job creation"
