£10m earmarked to protect coastline

The Government is to spend more than £10 million on aircraft and emergency towing vessels to protect the coastline and marine environment from pollution.

The funding has been earmarked by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Fahey, over the next two years, initially on the west coast. Control of the vessels and aircraft will be held by the Irish Coastguard, formerly the Irish Marine Emergency Service.

An emergency towing vessel on the western seaboard next year will cost £6.6 million and a further £1.7 million will be spent to provide similar capability on the east coast the following year.

Another £2 million is to be spent on "flying eye" patrols of the maritime area to detect pollution and provide an "early warning system" for the Coastguard.

The Department is examining the option of leasing a fully equipped aircraft or buying the technology capable of detecting oil and other pollutants for up to 20 miles on either side of an aircraft, with infrared imaging for use in total darkness. Incidents such as the Erica tanker accident off the French coast indicate the need for towing vessels to intercept a stricken vessel and prevent it from drifting on to vulnerable areas, the Minister said yesterday.

A report by a marine emergency advisory group set up by Mr Fahey's predecessor, Dr Woods, found there were usually 28 "route-committed" ships, mainly merchant vessels, and 100 "mission-committed" vessels, mainly fishing, in the Irish zone at any one time, and that 70 per cent of all oil imports pass within 200 miles of the south coast.