€50m port plan for super-tankers
Work will commence next month on the first €12.5m phase of the plan, the infilling of nearly 3.5 acres adjacent to the port’s East Jetty.
Funding will come from the Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC) reserves with some external funding.
Private-sector developments at the port costing €26m have already been announced for the port.
When the port expansion is completed, vessels of up to 40,000 tonnes — double the present capacity — will be able to use Foynes.
The development is part of the Vision 2041 masterplan for the port, unveiled two years ago. It envisages up to 3,000 port-related jobs being created in the Shannon Estuary over the next 25 years.
SFPC, which runs shipping on Shannon Estuary, envisages the infill work will be completed within 12 months.
Mr Donohoe said the development is a very important part of our national transport infrastructure. “What is happening in Foynes is a testament to the ambition and vision of Foynes port,” he said.
“These announcements are the first phase of a significant investment programme which seeks to double SFPC trade in the next three decades in line with its ambitious masterplan, Vision 2041.”
The Vision 2041 plan has been drawn up to captalise on the huge development of Panama Canal, which will see much larger ships being built and which will enable Foynes to develop its facility as an international shipping hub.
SFPC chief executive Pat Keating said: “We are reaching capacity at the port and this investment will facilitate significant additional growth at the port.”
