Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has confirmed that a proposed floating ecological pontoon inside the West Pier at Dún Laoghaire Harbour is an initiative involving Irish non-profit Amazon Aquaponics, Dún Laoghaire Sea Scouts and the council's Harbour Section.
The council has also confirmed that the project has received grant funding approval from Green Kite, with installation provisionally expected in mid-2027, depending on progress with its maritime area consent application.
The confirmation follows Afloat's 24 October report on the council's application to the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA).
Council Confirms Partners and Funding
In correspondence with Afloat on Monday (26 October), the council's Communications Office confirmed the identity of the project and the organisations involved.
“This application does relate to the proposed floating ecological pontoon initiative described by Amazon Aquaponics, of which the Dún Laoghaire Sea Scouts and the Harbour Section of DLRCC are partners for the implementation of this project,” the council said.
Amazon Aquaponics is an Irish non-profit organisation developing sustainable food production, water filtration and biodiversity projects in Ireland and the Ecuadorian Amazon. It is not identified as part of the Amazon technology and retail group.
The organisation describes the harbour pontoon as the first phase of a wider proposal, using salt-tolerant plants to filter nutrients and support biodiversity. A second phase envisages an educational aquaponics pod on the East Pier. The latter remains a proposal rather than an approved installation.
Green Kite Had Signalled Further Harbour Projects
Green Kite previously supported the separate electric wheelchair-accessible BoatHub service, launched in Dún Laoghaire Harbour in September.
At that launch, Green Kite's Anke Heydenreich praised the council's harbour team and indicated that further collaborative projects were being developed.
“And there’s more to come. We’re already working on other projects together, so watch this space,” she said.
The ecological pontoon and BoatHub are separate initiatives, although both involve Green Kite support and collaboration with the council's Harbour Section.
Green Kite's wider sustainability funding programme also identifies Amazon Aquaponics among the community organisations receiving support.
Maritime Consent Still Awaited
The ecological pontoon application, MAC260024, was submitted to MARA on 18 September 2026.
The council's location drawing, PL-26-115, identifies a 200-square-metre maritime consent area inside the West Pier, adjoining the Dunleary Road waterfront. That figure represents the consent area, not necessarily the dimensions of the pontoon.
The application has been recorded as Applied, with no grant of maritime consent established in the material reviewed. The anticipated mid-2027 installation therefore remains conditional on the necessary regulatory approvals.
