Council to put up fencing to block access to East Cork shipwreck

The MV Alta in Ballycotton where 280 metres of fencing is to be erected alongside the cliff. Pictures: Cork County Council

Cork County Council is set to introduce a number of new safety measures to prevent public access to the wreck of the MV Alta at Ballyandreen Bay, Ballycotton.

The measures will include erecting 280 metres of fencing alongside the cliff, the reinforcement of cliff walk fencing to discourage and prevent the public from accessing the foreshore, lockable pedestrian gates, and warning signs will be placed at numerous locations surrounding the wreck.

The so-called ghost ship has been languishing on the east Cork coast since February 2020 and the wreck is “gradually breaking up on site” according to the council.

Fencing blocking access to the MV Alta.

However, the site has also become a destination for sightseers as well as attracting anti-social behaviour and fires.

There are currently no plans to move the wreck, and Cork East Labour TD Sean Sherlock has said the ship was being “passed from pillar to post” as authorities decide what to do with it.

Adrift for 500 days

The MV Alta washed onto rocks near Ballycotton in east Cork after Storm Dennis struck Ireland in February 2020. A report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board said it had drifted more than 2,300 nautical miles for almost 500 days before it was shipwrecked.

The ship, built in 1976, had originally been on course from Greece to Haiti in the Caribbean Sea in October 2018, before engines failed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. While the US Coast Guard rescued the crew more than 2,000km off Bermuda, the ship was abandoned, drifting until it came to its final stop in Cork.

Last June, the Department of Transport commissioned a report on the risks to the health and safety of the public posed by the wreck of the MV Alta. It also sought to establish the stability and potential for further deterioration of the vessel and any associated risks.

Fencing blocking public access to the MV Alta.

In its notice to issue a contract for additional safety works, the council said that the cliff pathway is in private ownership but is known to be accessed by members of the public. While the works are ongoing, no member of the public or landowner should be able to access the works area, it said.

“All planned works must be agreed with the landowner and Cork County Council at least 7 days in advance of taking over a section of the pathway,” the council said.

Access difficulty

It noted potential difficulties in accessing the area where fencing is required and suggested a potential zipline from the clifftop immediately above the works area to drop material down. The fencing should be coated in anti-climb paint while the pedestrian gate “shall have a shooting bolt and an anti-vandal shroud covering and protecting the padlock for the gate”.

When asked for comment, Cork County Council did not provide details on how much these new safety measures would cost.

A spokesperson said: “Cork County Council and the Department of Transport are continuing to liaise in terms of any residual risks associated with the wreck of the MV Alta.

“Following the completion of a health and safety assessment, a set of interventions to address public safety concerns in the vicinity of the wreck have been identified. These works, including the erection of fencing and signage will be completed early in 2023.”