asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce whether he is aware that harbour authorities such as those of Waterford and Limerick have learned with grave concern of the decision of the Government to have a number of ships of the 9,000-ton class built which will be too large to be accommodated in any port in the country except Dublin; and, if so, whether he will request the Government to reconsider this decision in favour of the building of smaller ships which will permit of their cargoes being discharged in ports on the south and west coast.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Harbour Facilities.
Representations were made to me by the Waterford and Limerick Harbour Commissioners and by other interested parties in regard to the size of the ships which are being acquired by Irish Shipping, Limited. At my request the Board of Irish Shipping, Limited, met the representatives of both harbour boards, and I am now informed that a comparatively small adjustment in length will enable some of the new vessels to be accommodated at Waterford as a second port of call. The port of Cork can take the larger vessels and the port of Limerick also can be used by these ships after lightening.
When the tonnage already under construction and the new programme are completed, Irish Shipping, Limited, will have six vessels of between 1,360 and 3,000 tons dead-weight each, all of which can be accommodated at a number of provincial ports. The new ships of larger tonnage are not intended solely for use in the Irish trade. While they would be available to us in the event of an emergency, they are of a size and design suited to secure their profitable employment in the world's tramp-shipping trade in normal times. As such it is hoped that they will prove a valuable source of foreign exchange.