Five charging points for electric boats are to be installed along the Shannon Navigation by 2026, under a strategy to ‘green’ the State’s cruiser-hire business.
Under the strategy being unveiled on Friday, the number of electric charging points for vessels with electric engines would rise to 10 by 2029.
The supply of electric charging points is a key action in a feasibility study on the future development and greening of the cruise hire sector, produced by consultants KPMG for Fáilte Ireland.
The strategy aims to have 25 per cent of all new boats in the hire fleets running with electric or hybrid engines, alongside a retrofitting programme to convert 25 per cent of existing diesel boats by 2033.
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The feasibility study also includes measures to increase the market for cruiser holidays. The number of hire fleets on the Shannon Navigation has been in decline over recent decades, with the closure of large fleets including Derg Line and Shannon Castle Line on Lough Derg.
According to the study there are now just three large-scale operators on the Shannon.
The strategy notes cruise hire in Ireland is a sector which “grapples with issues such as ageing boats, rising maintenance costs, and dependence on diesel fuel”.
It also notes the existing three main operators have a combined total of 230 hire boats, which attract 18,400 visitors to the region each year. Just over half of the visitors are classed as “domestic” and diesel is the main fuel power.
The strategy also provided for an annual report on progress towards the transition. Part of that includes measures to move quickly to the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a fossil-free alternative to mineral diesel that results in up to a 90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. It also reduces potential damage from fuel spills.
Emerald Star, part of the Le Boat brand that is popular in Europe and Canada, said this week it had already switched 30 boats in the fleet to HVO. It said “the renewable and sustainable energy source harmonises perfectly with our fleet, embodying green living and ensuring an eco-friendly holiday”.
The company also said it had installed UV water filtration in its boats. The system allows boaters to enjoy purified water without relying on commercially bought bottles, significantly diminishing plastic usage and enforcing the principles of green tourism.
Fáilte Ireland brought key stakeholders together in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, for the inaugural meeting of an implementation group to discuss the execution of the plan.
This meeting marks the beginning of a effort between cruise hire operators, the Irish Boat Rental Association, Waterways Ireland, the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland and local authorities along the Shannon Navigation and Shannon-Erne Waterway to help the cruise hire sector to develop more sustainably in the future.
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