Seanad debates

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

National Marine Mapping Programme: Motion

 

6:00 pm

Photo of Ned O'SullivanNed O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator O'Brien for sharing his time with me.

I am glad to have an opportunity to make a few brief remarks in the debate. I agree with Senator Mullen who picked up on what Senator Joe O'Reilly stated on how relevant the debate is in the context of the overall depressed economy. I accept the point but this is a useful forum for such a discussion. I cannot imagine this discussion taking place in the other House because it would break into a partisan row. A Cabinet Minister is here to listen to our views on the topic and if it is going to get an airing anywhere, the Seanad is the best place for it.

There is no question that huge strides have been made in the area of safety because of the work of INFOMAR and proper mapping of the ocean bed. I happen to be reading the novels by Patrick O'Brian who created a character who is a British naval officer at the time of the Napoleonic wars. The books give a great insight into the type of maritime ability people had prior to proper mapping. They were guided mainly by their observations of nature. They knew winds, bird life and other natural movements around them. They were able to do a great job and they were fantastic seafaring men. However, that would not do in today's world where seafaring traffic has increased by multiples and safety must be our first priority.

The days when Davy Jones' Locker was the only knowledge people had of the ocean bed are long gone. Information is wealth and it is only in recent decades that we have begun to seek proper information about what is going on under the surface of the sea. As an island nation, we have much to gain from the work of INFOMAR and we should look forward to the challenges that this new information is giving us.

I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security and recently I was afforded a couple of opportunities to visit counties Galway and Mayo. I saw the work being done by the Marine Institute in Galway Bay on spearheading new technology for the harnessing of wave and tidal power. Apart from creating energy, which will be valuable to the economy, we are poised to be leaders in the provision of this information worldwide. We could possibly reprise our achievement in being leaders in the IT revolution which initiated the Celtic tiger. I compliment the Minister and his party for putting the idea of renewable energy to the forefront of Irish political life in the past ten years. We have all learned and my party is glad to learn and embrace this philosophy because it is the future and without it we have no future.

I note that some county councils have started to pick up on this and in particular I pay tribute to Mayo County Council which seems to be very proactive on energy developments in Clew Bay. Recently, representatives from there attended a meeting of the Oireachtas joint committee and I met the county manager. Mayo County Council seems to be coming out of the traps very quickly on this and the work of INFOMAR in mapping will be essential to its chances of success. I know the Minister is committed to completing the programme, of which 18% remains to be done.

I live at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary and studies seem to indicate that the tidal conditions there would be quite suitable for some form of tidal energy plant or development. As the Minister is more than aware, it is the proposed location for the new liquefied natural gas, LNG, terminal which, unfortunately, has been held up by a serial objector but the matter is coming to the end of the tunnel and it should begin in 2011. As we are at it we should examine the ocean floor and try to tie everything together. We have a power station there which is being renovated and enhanced. It is hoped to have a new gas facility there in a couple of years. Let us tie the whole lot together and have something under the sea as well. I commend the work and I am sure that the Government will continue its commitment and that we will complete the mapping process.

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