Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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116. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the competent authority for aids to navigation in Castletownbere Fishery Harbour Centre, County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17067/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Castletownbere Fishery Harbour Centre is one of the six Fishery Harbour Centres in the State which are owned and managed by my Department under Statute. I can inform the Deputy that the Commissioner of Irish Lights is thegeneral Lighthouse Authority. Under the Merchant Shipping Acts, consent from the Commissioners of Irish Lights (C.I.L.), in the form of Statutory Sanction, is required prior to the establishment, alteration, or removal of any Aid to Navigation (AtoN).

Aids to Navigation are categorised as IALA Category 1, 2 or 3 depending on their significance from a safe navigation perspective.

The categorisation of Aids to Navigation is the responsibility of the Local Lighthouse Authority (LLA). At Castletownbere Fishery Harbour Centre, as is the case at the Department’s five other FHCs, Killybegs, Rossaveel, Dingle, Dunmore East and Howth, the Local Lighthouse Authority is the Fishery Harbour Centre.

Local Lighthouse Authorities are responsible for assessing the navigational requirements within their jurisdiction. Applications for statutory sanction for third party aids to navigation must be submitted via the Local Lighthouse Authority. Local Lighthouse Authorities are required to submit quarterly reports to C.I.L on the availability of their AtoNs.

I can confirm that Castletownbere Fishery Harbour Centre is the Local Lighthouse Authority (LLA) for Berehaven.

The Fishery Harbour Centre is directly responsible for the following Aids to Navigation within its precincts:

- No. 1 and 2 Port and Starboard lateral buoys,

-No. 3 and 4 Green and Red perches,

-Cametringane Spit perch,

-Leading lights into the inner harbour,

-The Bardini Reefer Cardinal buoy and

-The Privateer beacon (unlit).  

In addition, the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) are responsible for the George Rock buoy, the Hornet Cardinal buoy, the Walter Scott Cardinal buoy, the Colt Rock Beacon  and the PEL directional light on Dinish Island. 

Cork County Council are responsible for the Oilean na gCadrach Beacon and the Beal Lough Beacon. In addition, there are certain navigational buoys that the various fish and mussel farms are responsible for.

Any Aids to Navigation that are unlit or out of position must be reported to the harbour master. A Navigational Warning will then be issued by the Coast Guard and also reported to theCommissioner of Irish Lights.