Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
490. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his attention has been drawn to a correspondence (details supplied) concerning a shipping vessel; his views on the same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21681/24]
View answerMy Department is aware of the correspondence relating to a shipping vessel dated 08 April 2024 as supplied.
The dedicated livestock vessel mentioned in the correspondence is not currently approved by my Department under the Carriage of Livestock by Sea Regulations 2016.
Irish approval standards require that any vessel seeking approval under the aforementioned regulations must be registered under a White Flag State, and that the performance level of the Recognised Organisation issuing statutory certificates on behalf of the Flag State is recorded as “High” on the Paris MoU performance table. These standards are applied to all such applications for approval.
Regulating the access of shipping vessels to Irish ports is not a function of this Department.
