Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 May 2004
95 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the benefits in tax revenue to the State and other benefits accruing from the registration of other EU vessels on the Irish shipping register since September 2003; if he will report on the monthly expansion of the register since that date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13717/04]
View answerThe operation of the Irish ship register is governed by applicable national and EU law. Within the European Union there is freedom for commercial ship operators to be put on any EU ship register. The purpose of operating a reputable ship register is not to generate revenue. Community ship registers impose obligations on ship owners regarding safety, security, protection of the environment, crewing standards and certification of those matters by the flag state or inspection bodies duly authorised by the flag state. Ship owners or managers are charged for inspections of their ships before such ships are entered on the Irish ship register. It is generally understood that having ships on one's ship register gives rise to revenue-generating activities in the provision of banking, legal and other services relating to such ships.
Ireland is at present developing its maritime sector. To that end a range of fiscal reliefs have been put in place. Our new National Maritime College at Ringaskiddy will open for business later this year. The expansion of the Irish ship register will increase Irish seafarer employment and onshore maritime services as well as raising tax revenue for the State. The growth of the maritime clusters in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, for instance, followed the growth of their ship registers. I expect that Ireland's maritime cluster of shipping-related business will expand significantly in the coming years. The Irish Maritime Development Office, our statutory development agency for our maritime sector, was established to achieve just such a result. Its staff are actively encouraging foreign ship operators to locate their businesses in Ireland.
Since September 2003 a total of 74 vessels have entered the register, totalling 250,213 gross tonnes, and 16 vessels have left the register, totalling 34,152 gross tonnes. A month-by-month breakdown of the changes to the register since September 2003 is given in the table below.
September 2003
5 vessels entered the register, totalling 379.25 gross tonnes
1 vessel left the register, totalling 122 gross tonnes
October 2003
11 vessels entered the register, totalling 94,173.63 gross tonnes
2 vessels left the register, totalling 101.83 gross tonnes
November 2003
5 vessels entered the register, totalling 57,169.26 gross tonnes
3 vessels left the register, totalling 8,553.4 gross tonnes
December 2003
13 vessels entered the register, totalling 31,636.61 gross tonnes
2 vessels left the register, totalling 35.5 gross tonnes
January 2004
7 vessels entered the register, totalling 25,577.90 gross tonnes
0 vessels left the register
February 2004
16 vessels entered the register, totalling 2192.79 gross tonnes
1 vessel left the register, totalling 14.17 gross tonnes
March 2004
6 vessels entered the register, totalling 22,161.61 gross tonnes
3 vessels left the register, totalling 21,148.28 gross tonnes
April 2004
11 vessels entered the register, totalling 5,640.66 gross tonnes
4 vessels left the register, totalling 1,392.37 gross tonnes
