The Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, has approved £7.25 million in grant aid to assist the purchase of 12 second-hand vessels for fishermen in counties Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry and Louth.
The money brings the total aid for the renewal of the State's fishing fleet to almost £67 million under the Government's renewal programme.
The £7.25 million will be used to aid replacement of vessels in the whitefish sector and represents the largest single financial initiative in that sector, according to Dr Woods.
Vessels aged between three and 10 years will be bought, bringing the cost of grant aid on "modern, second-hand vessels" to £12.5 million under the whitefish renewal programme. Nineteen fishermen have benefited under the programme, according to the Minister.
The total £67 million investment in overall fleet replacement includes support for the introduction of 29 new fishing vessels; 19 modern second-hand vessels; the modernisation and up-grading of a further 34 vessels and safety equipment for 143 skippers and their crews.
Dr Woods said each of the 82 new, second-hand and up-graded vessels would be capable of competing with "the best in other European fleets" and that the response to the grant aid scheme had exceeded his expectations.
"Together we are creating an up-to-date, internationally competitive, highly mobile and productive Irish whitefish fleet with long-distance capacity and world class standards of safety," he said.
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