Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 September 2021
118. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Transport if he has had examined the role of his Department in the case of a person (details supplied); if he has had discussions with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine regarding the use the European fisheries funds to seek compensation for the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44050/21]
View answerBy way of background to the case of the fishing vessel “MFV Mary Kate” it is helpful to set out the safety regime for fishing vessels in Ireland. The fleet is divided into three classes for the regulation of safety. These are the greater than 24m vessels which are regulated by means of an EU Directive since 1999. The next category are the 15m to 24m and these are not regulated at EU or international level and it is a matter for individual states to regulate these. In 2007 Ireland progressively introduced a safety regime for such vessels. The remaining sector are fishing vessel in the less then 15m category and these have been regulated since 2004 under national provisions.
The “MFV Mary Kate” was a fishing vessel in the 15m to 24 length category and was required to undergo its safety survey for compliance with the new safety regime in 2009. It was determined that it did not comply with the requirements specifically with the stability requirements and was not issued with a safety certificate. The owner then needed to propose how they would bring their vessel into compliance. The owner decided to lengthen the vessel by the inserting a new section into the vessel. This brought the vessel into the next length category of over 24m and the safety regime of that class applied. Following this alteration, the vessel was then found to comply with the stability requirements. The vessel was subsequently sold to another owner on the Irish flag, has since been renamed and has been operating since this time under the new name and ownership.
In 2013 the MSO brought a paper to the EU Regulatory Committee on maritime safety matters, the COSS committee. This paper was submitted to raise awareness among other EU Member States as well as the European Commission of the “MFV Mary Kate” case and possible safety implications for similar vessels which may be operating on the registers of other EU MS.
In relation to the European Fisheries Fund my Department has no role or function in relation to the funding of the fishing sector in Ireland. The MSO of my Department does not become involved with the financial arrangements for individual vessels in order to maintain the necessary separation of commercial and safety considerations. On this basis it would not be appropriate for me to contact the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on this matter.
