Senator's claims of blackmail over Loran C mast rejected

THE Commissioners of Irish Lights have strongly rejected Fianna Fail claims that they "blackmailed" the Minister for the Marine over new legislation related to the Loran C radio navigation mast.

The legislation, which covers not only the mast but all radio based navigation aids installed by the Commissioners around the coastline, has passed all stages in the Dail but may be defeated in the Seanad due to opposition to Loran C. If it does, the coastal navigation system may be in jeopardy.

The mast is already on hold, pending a planning appeal to the Supreme Court.

Last week, Fianna Fail senator Mr Brendan Daly charged the chairman of Irish Lights with trying to "blackmail" the Minister, Mr Barrett, over the legislation, which is an amendment to the 1894 Merchant Shipping act.

The amendment was introduced on foot of a Supreme Court judgment on Loran C last July, which found that all radio based navigation aids run by Irish Lights were not covered by the existing legislation.

Last month, the Commissioners chairman informed the Minister in writing that each commissioner could be personally liable in the event of an accident at sea, if the radio based aids continued to be used without supporting legislation.

On legal advice, the Commissioners had also been informed that they could also be charged personally with the cost of such aids, the letter said. During recent Dail and Seanad debates, the Minister read out sections of this letter.

"No reference whatsoever was made in that letter, or at any time, to switching off navigational aids around our coastline," the Commissioners said yesterday. The content had outlined the "untenable" situation in which the Commissioners now found themselves, the statement said.

However, the letter, which has been seen by The Irish Times, did state that if "immediate remedial legislative action was not taken, or an "acceptable indemnity" not given to the Commissioners, its board would have "no option" but to issue a mariners formal notice on February 14th stating that radio aids to navigation would be terminated from February 28th, 1997.

"The Commissioners of Irish Lights fully endorse the Minister's actions in introducing amending legislation," the statement continued, adding that they were in "mutual agreement" with the Department of the Marine on the urgent need to update a law under which Irish Lights had been working for more than a century.

"This is necessary to ensure the continued provision of a modern and efficient aids to navigation service for Ireland, to fulfil our international agreements and obligations and, most of all, for the preservation of safety of life at sea and the protection of the marine environment," the statement said.

Ironically, in spite of strong reservations expressed last Thursday in the Seanad, it was a Fianna Fail Progressive Democrats coalition which introduced the international agreement drawing Ireland into the Loran C project.

All parties approved the legislation in 1992, and there was little debate about long term implications, which involved construction of a 720 ft mast on the Loop Head peninsula, with part funding from France and the Netherlands.

Loran C is a land based electronic navigation system agreed by nine European states, in an effort to complement and reduce dependence on the more accurate satellite Global Positioning System designed by the US.