Beara vessels face decommissioning

TWO vessels from Castletownbere are in the breaker’s yard as part of a decommissioning deal that will see 12 Beara boats destroyed.

The Syracuse, owned and operated by Alan and Peter Carleton since 2014, went to the yard in New Ross, Wexford on Friday.  Alan confirmed work on breaking up their vessel, as well as the Robyn RJ, which is owned by Daniel Healy, also from Castletownbere, was supposed to start on Monday.

Both vessels will have to be stripped in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, and the work will take two weeks to complete. 

Alan said he and his dad are upset at having had to take the post-Brexit decommissioning deal, which saw the loss of 25% of Ireland’s fishing quotas. Patrick Murphy, head of the Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation said the loss of 12 boats will mean the loss of 100 jobs ‘at the stroke of a pen’. We cannot allow this to happen again, said Patrick. ‘We have paid too much as it is. The fishing industry can’t be expected to pay anymore ... at this rate we won’t have an industry.’