Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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64. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider amending Schedule 3 of the Merchant Shipping (Register of Ships) Act 2014 to include the designated fishing ports as port of registration in order that vessels can be registered in their home port; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22171/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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​Schedule 3 of the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Act 2014, which lists 13 ports of registry, has not yet been commenced. However, those ports of registry are the same as those currently designated under section 32 of the Mercantile Marine Act 1955.  They are:  Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Dundalk, Galway, Limerick, Skibbereen, Sligo, Tralee, Waterford, Westport and Wexford.  While additional ports may be designated under the 1955 Act, after consultation with the Revenue Commissioners, I have no current plans to do so, in advance of the coming into operation of the Registration of Ships Act.

Section 30 of the Registration of Ships Act will allow additional ports to be prescribed as ports of registry, or ports to be removed from the list.  In considering an additional port, the Minister must have regard to any or all of the following :

- the demand that exists for the port to be a port of registry,

- the importance of the location for commercial shipping traffic or business, fishing, recreational or other maritime activity,

- the geographical location of the port, and

- the level of maritime activity with regard to shipping at the port.

In due course, I will be open to considering any case for a particular port that is made to me on this basis.

The Registration of Ships Act will provide for an updated and modernised ship registration system and replace the 1955 Act.  A core element of the new system will be the establishment of a new electronic Irish Register of Ships.  This will require a new IT project within my Department, and its progress will be subject to the availability of resources.