Vol. 406 No. 8
20 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for the Marine if he will outline the types of ships currently registered under the Irish flag differentiating between deep sea and short haul shipping services; and if he will also give a breakdown between liner and cargo vessels.
I would refer the Deputy to the replies given to his written questions of 20 February which provided a breakdown of the Irish registered fleet by type of vessel and defined the type of ships which engage in the liner trades.
As he will recall from last month's reply, the Irish registered fleet is currently made up of 82 ships with a total carrying capacity of just over 190,000 tons. The fleet is mainly composed of small ships of between 1,500 and 5,000 tons deadweight which are predominantly deployed in the European short sea trades.
That is not to say however that Irish ships never venture beyond the near continental area. On occasion in recent years Irish vessels have operated in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It is not possible therefore to give a definitive breakdown between long and short haul services. Shipowners decide on cargoes and destinations on the basis of current market rates and the suitability of their vessels to the particular trade. The availability of cargoes for the return trip (backloads) is also a crucial factor. As more than 70 per cent of Irish trade is with the EC countries it is hardly surprising to find that the great majority of Irish ships operate to, from and between European countries.
As regards the last part of the Deputy's question, I would again refer him to the reply to his written question of 20 February in which the nature of liner conference vessels and their operation was explained.
