Former smuggling ship to be sank in Mayo this weekend

The sinking of a former smuggling vessel into Killala Bay for it to become an artificial reef is scheduled to take place this Sunday, depending on the weather.

The MV Shingle was seized by Customs officers at Drogheda Port as part of a €14m tobacco seizure in 2014 and was held by the Revenue Commission. It sat in the dry dock at New Ross in the years since.

Earlier this year, a Maritime Area Consent licence was granted to the Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef project team, a group of diving enthusiasts, to allow them to tow the Shingle to Killala Bay for sinking.

Planning permission was then granted by Mayo County Council in July of this year for the preparation, transportation, positioning and placement of the MV Shingle on the seabed of Killala Bay.

The towing operation to bring the ship from the port at New Ross up to Killala will take three days and upon arrival, a company has been employed to prepare the ship for sinking.

As Ireland’s first artificial reef, it is hoped that the project can bring a boost in diving tourism to the west of Ireland as well as promoting local marine ecology.

Cllr Michael Loftus, who has been involved with the project, said this was a really positive story for the local community and wider north Mayo and west Sligo region.

“This is going to enhance and improve our community, it is something we see being done all over the world, that’s why we felt it would be a success here in north Mayo.”

“We are so fortunate that Revenue saw the benefit that this ship could bring to our community and we want to thank them and all the agencies involved in this project so far,” he said.

Cllr Loftus said that the project has the potential to tap into the massive dive tourism market that has grown all over Europe in the last number of years.

“We feel like Ireland West Airport Knock will see huge benefits. There is a market of divers from all over Europe who will want to come in and that is a massive boost to us in the west of Ireland.”

“We want to see divers coming in but we also want to see fishermen coming in. Fish will thrive in the reef and that will be a boost for the fishing tourism as well.”

He added that Marine Tourism as a whole is an area that should be developed in Mayo, the wider west of Ireland region and the Wild Atlantic Way.

“Mayo has the longest coastline in Ireland and I think Marine Tourism is something that has to be developed.”

“Adventure sports and water sports are what people want and we genuinely feel like this sector has the potential to provide a lot of employment in north Mayo.”