Simon Coveney: Marine industry is vital to Ireland’s development
The success of the recent SeaFest conference at Ringaskiddy, which included three days of marine related events including; a major international marine conference, the official opening by An Taoiseach of the €15m UCC Beaufort Marine Energy Research Building, and the associated ‘SeaFest maritime festival open day’ attended by thousands of families, has reaffirmed my view that we are now in a new era of significant re-engagement with the sea.
Recent research at NUI Galway indicates that Ireland’s blue economy has been growing nearly twice as fast as the general economy. The latest indicators show that Ireland’s maritime economy grew by 9.2% between 2010 & 2012 with a further impressive 8.2% growth for the period 2012to 2014. Also during this time employment has also increased from 17,425 to 18,480.
