Displaying items by tag: EU CEF funding

22nd June 2023

Ministers Welcome Support for Port Projects in Rosslare and Cork in CEF Funding Announcement

Minsters have welcomed the €11 million in co-funding for transport projects in Ireland under the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) which will support two port-related schemes.

As reported earlier on Afloat.ie, Irish Rail will receive €2.5 million for studies in respect of the potential to develop facilities at Rosslare Europort to support offshore renewable energy (ORE) operators in the Irish and Celtic Seas.

Doyle Shipping Group will also receive €2.5 million for its own studies informing the consideration of the redevelopment and expansion of the existing port facilities in Cork, with a view to supporting the deployment of ORE.

Welcoming the announcement on Thursday (22 June), Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said: “This funding will support the development of safer and more sustainable transport infrastructure as well as the development of the offshore renewable energy industry in Ireland.”

Minister of State Jack Chambers added: “I want to thank the EU for this support. This CEF funding will assist in developing strategic road, rail and maritime infrastructure for the future. It demonstrates the significant financial support from the EU for the development of our transport systems.”

Speaking about the Irish CEF project selection, European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean said: “Ports have an essential role to play in the future sustainable EU transport system. This is why the CEF program already supports and will continue to support them.

“I am pleased that with this selection under the Connecting Europe Facility, we are able to assist the ports of Cork and Rosslare in their infrastructure developments and to contribute to their green transition efforts by developing offshore wind energy projects.”

Published in Power From the Sea

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EU CEF Funding for Rosslare Europort Secured towards Developing Ireland's National Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Hub

In the south-east Rosslare Europort has been named today as a direct port recipient in Ireland of securing EU Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding in the latest CEF call down.

In what is a major boost and vote of confidence by the EU in the Rosslare Europort Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) project, the €2.5 million funding secured will support the project’s full design and planning application processes.

Rosslare Europort is Ireland’s best geographically located port to provide the required infrastructure to meet the requirements of the planned Offshore Wind Farms in the Irish and Celtic Seas and ensure that Ireland can deliver on its 2030 renewable energy targets.

The ORE facility at the port, which will be the first of its kind in the State, will include the construction of two new additional berths of between 240 metres and 330 metres in length, 20+ hectares of ORE quay side space, and a dredging program to create a nine metre access channel with berth pocket depths of up to twelve metres.

Glenn Carr Director of Commercial Business Units for Iarnród Éireann - Port Authority for Rosslare Europort - said “We are delighted to be the port in Ireland that was successful in what was a heavily oversubscribed competition for EU grant funding across Europe. It is testament to our ambitious plans that we have been successful in this call down and we now push forward in collaboration with all stakeholders to delivers Irelands first ORE facility and hub.

It is essential that the Rosslare Europort Offshore Wind facility be built and operational to meet the windfarm developments that are planned and support Ireland to deliver on its 2030 targets. We are committed to delivering this project which will be transformational for the Southeast and create many social and economic benefits for the county, region and country for decades to come.”

Feedback from the EU Commission on the Rosslare Europort ORE project included “will positively impact the competitiveness of the port towards the ORE industry and will result to socio-economic benefits including emissions reduction, multiplier effect, employment or development of the South East Region..... CEF funding will accelerate the project implementation, improve the quality of project implementation and will contribute to positive stakeholder support confirming EU support of the ORE industry.”

Investment Plan Rosslare ORE HUB

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Hub development at Rosslare Europort will be the first of its kind in a port within the Republic of Ireland. Representing a €220M investment, this world class facility will provide the ORE industry with the necessary port infrastructure to support the many Wind Farm projects planned for the Irish and Celtic Seas.

Additional Investment Plans at the port comprise Port, OPW and road infrastructure developments including:

Rosslare Europort Masterplan, including port digitalisation: These works will reflect its status as Ireland’s Gateway to Europe and will include new freight and passenger facilities, storage, export and import facilities, berth extension. Matching the port’s physical transformation, a digitalisation of systems and operations is also planned which will deliver a better, more effective and more efficient Port
Office of Public Works Project T7, to develop a permanent Border Control Post within the port, to provide the facilities and systems for all aspects of Border Control
New TII N25 Rosslare Europort Access Road will ensure a better experience for port users and enhance quality of life for those living and working in the area by taking trucks out of the village and improving access and connectivity to the port.

In total, these developments will see a total of €350 million invested in the port and its environs.

Published in Power From the Sea

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What is the Ilen?

The Ilen is the last of Ireland’s traditional wooden sailing ships.

Who designed the Ilen?

The Ilen was designed by Conor O’Brien, the first Irish man to circumnavigate the world.

Where does the name Ilen get her name?

Ilen is named for the West Cork River which flows to the sea at Baltimore, her home port.

Who built the Ilen?

The Ilen was built by Baltimore Sea Fisheries School, West Cork in 1926. Tom Moynihan was foreman.

What is Ilen built from?

Ilen's wood construction is of oak ribs and planks of larch.

What are the dimensions of the lIen?

As-built initially, she is 56 feet in length overall with a beam of 14 feet and a displacement of 45 tonnes.

How did the Ilen get from Baltimore to the Falkland Islands in 1926?

Conor O’Brien set sail in August 1926 with two Cadogan cousins from Cape Clear in West Cork, arriving at Port Stanley in January 1927 and handed it over to the new owners.

How much did the Ilen cost in 1926?

The Ilen was delivered to the Falkland Islands Company, in exchange for £1,500.

What roles has Ilen performed in her lifetime?

Ilen served for over 70 years as a cargo ship and a ferry in the Falkland Islands, enduring and enjoying the Roaring Forties, the Furious Fifties, and Screaming Sixties. She stayed in service until the early 1990s.

Who from Ireland rediscovered the Ilen in the Falkland Islands?

Limerick sailor Gary McMahon and his team located Ilen. MacMahon started looking for her in 1996 and went out to the Falklands and struck a deal with the owner to bring her back to Ireland.

What condition was Ilen in when she was found in the Falkland Islands?

After a lifetime of hard work in the Falklands, Ilen required a ground-up rebuild.

How did the Ilen come back to Ireland?

A Russian cargo ship transported her back on a 12,000-mile trip from the Southern Oceans to Dublin. The Ilen was discharged at the Port of Dublin 1997, after an absence from Ireland of 70 years.

Who restored the Ilen?

It was a collaboration between the Ilen Project in Limerick and Hegarty’s Boatyard in Old Court, near Skibbereen. Much of the heavy lifting, of frames, planking, deadwood & backbone, knees, floors, shelves and stringers, deck beams, and carlins, was done in Hegarty’s. The generally lighter work of preparing sole, bulkheads, deck‐houses fixed furniture, fixtures & fittings, deck fittings, machinery, systems, tanks, spar making and rigging is being done at the Ilen boat building school in Limerick.

How long did it take to restore Ilen?

Ten years. The boat was much the worse for wear when it returned to West Cork in May 1998, and it remained dormant for ten years before the start of a decade-long restoration.

What is the role of the Ilen today?

Ilen now serves as a community floating classroom and cargo vessel – visiting 23 ports in 2019 and making a transatlantic crossing to Greenland as part of a relationship-building project to link youth in Limerick City with youth in Nuuk, west Greenland.