THERE was more more good news for the Northern Ireland fishing industry as Fisheries Minister Michele Gildernew MLA announced plans for new measures to enhance safety at Kilkeel Harbour and to hold harbour landings charges at current levels.
After careful consideration of the recent independent appraisal of options for improving navigational safety at the entrance to Kilkeel Harbour, the Minister has accepted the recommendation that an Enhanced Safety Management System be developed at a cost of £192,000.
Minister Gildernew said, “Under certain adverse weather and tidal conditions, the entrance into Kilkeel Harbour can become unsafe. The Report considered a range of options to reduce risks to As Low As Reasonably Practical (ALARP) levels in order to address those concerns. It concluded an Enhanced Safety Management System will reduce the safety risks to ALARP levels and represents best value for money. A breakwater would cost £15million.”
[caption id="attachment_20567" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="Kilkeel harbour is to get a safety system set up to assist trawlers entering and leaving the port in difficult sea and weather conditions."]
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“I have asked the Harbour Authority to draw up proposals for such a system which will be prioritised for consideration under European Fisheries Funding (EFF). Once a system is installed and operational it will be reviewed after three years to ensure that the safety risk is being maintained.”
Speaking about her decision not to increase harbour landings charges, the Minister said, “The Fishery Harbour Authority has proposed an increase in landing dues from 1st April 2011 as part of an Energy Savings Plan. But I do not consider an increase is appropriate at this time. Provision has been made in my Department’s draft budget to meet reasonable projected deficits in the Authority’s operating income up to 2014. The implementation of the Efficiency Savings Plan will be kept under review.”
The Minister added, “I believe that the decision not to increase landing charges will be welcome news to fishermen who have lobbied me on this issue.”
Kilkeel harbour has been a difficult port for fishemen to navigate their vesels into in certain conditions which amount to an average of 40 times a year since the current harbour was constructed.
A recent report commissioned by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development considered the economic case for various options that would reduce the risks to vessels entering the Harbour to acceptable levels.
The preferred option is the development of an Enhanced Safety Management System that would provide real time information to vessels about conditions at the harbour entrance and advise them if it was unsafe to enter. Vessels could then make early decisions to either “lie off” until conditions improved or divert to another port.]]>
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