Fuel support scheme worth €15m now open for fishing and aquaculture 

Scheme  open to owners of fishing vessels who must be registered on the Irish Fleet Register at the time of the grant application and who must have been actively fishing from March to July 2025

The Fishing and Aquaculture Registered Vessel Fuel Support Scheme will be open for applicants until June 12.

The Fishing and Aquaculture Registered Vessel Fuel Support Scheme is now open for applicants.

The scheme will remain open until Friday, June 12.

Marine minister Martin Heydon said: “On 6 May, I opened a scheme for farmers and contractors, and today I am happy to open this scheme specifically designed to assist vessel owners in the fishing and aquaculture sectors. Up to €15m will be available to eligible vessel owners at a critical time in the fishing season.” 

Minister of state with responsibility for fisheries and marine Timmy Dooley said the scheme was being operated on behalf of the department by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) and is urging all “vessel owners to engage early with BIM to facilitate a smooth application process”. 

The scheme will cover the months of March up to the end of July, which are a critical time in the fisheries calendar.

The scheme is open to owners of fishing vessels who must be registered on the Irish Fleet Register at the time of the grant application and who must have been actively fishing from March to July 2025.

The scheme is also open to owners of aquaculture vessels, which must be registered on the Irish Fleet Register at the time of grant application, under the aquaculture segment.

All applicants must be tax-compliant at the time of payment. Eligibility for the scheme will be based on the recorded consumption of fuel for the primary production of fisheries and aquaculture products last year.

For vessel owners of greater than 6m length overall, the applicants can apply online via the BIM’s online grants management system and submit completed forms and receipts as part of the application process.

Under the scheme, there will be one payment per applicant to cover a full five-month period. Applicants will be asked to supply their usage for the period March 1 to July 31, 2025, based on receipted expenditure. All receipted information provided by the applicants will be validated before the decision on final payment is made.

For vessel owners of less than 6m length overall, they will receive a flat rate support. The applicants can apply online via the BIM’s online grants management system, but will not need to provide fuel receipts.

Applicants wishing to contact BIM regarding the Fishing and Aquaculture Registered Vessel Fuel Support Scheme can email the grants helpdesk at [e-mail].