Shannon Foynes Port, Ireland's second largest port operator and largest bulk port company, has statutory jurisdiction over all marine activities on a 500km2 area on the Shannon Estuary, stretching from Kerry to Loop Head to Limerick City.
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Adjacent to the world's busiest shipping routes, with current capacity to handle over 10 million tonnes annually and with water depths of up to 32m, we are uniquely positioned to expand as an international cargo hub serving the domestic, European and worldwide markets. This expansion will be accommodated by up to hectares of land available for Port development.
We were delighted to have Anne Riordan from the Irish Heart Foundation call today to present her with a cheque for '8,500. Funds raised from our Irish Port Safety Week charity challenge.
We would like to thank the Irish Heart Foundation, our customers and port users, SFPC staff & Management and everyone who supported, sponsored and participated in the Challenge.
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Monday, 07 October : The reinstated Limerick to Foynes rail link, which is set to be operational by early , will be the first stop in delivering a 14-fold increase in goods being moved by rail here by the end of the next decade, an Irish Exporters Association seminar has been told. The step-change in rail freight activity is necessitated by Ireland's need to transform from being one of Europe's laggards when it comes to rail freight, with just 1% of inland freight here currently carried by rail, compared to a European average of approximately 18%. The European Commission's Green Deal Policy includes targets for as much as 75% of inland freight currently carried by road to shift onto rail and inland waterways. According to Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann Jim Meade at today's seminar in Foynes, Ireland has a huge task ahead if it is to meet European targets for reducing the impact of transport networks on the environment by transitioning to less impactful, low-carbon modes of transporting freight. But, he says, the '152 million reinstatement of the Foynes rail link is a key first step in the journey. 'Enhancing connections with seaports is one of five key pillars of Iarnród Éireann's Rail Freight Strategy. Irish port traffic accounts for over 90% of annual imports and exports. But with just 1% of inland freight being carried by rail, it shows just how much freight goes on our roads. That means we are completely out of kilter with where we need to be and with the European average. 'Rail freight generates 76% less emissions (per tonne-km) than road haulage and as such there is an opportunity for rail to become a cornerstone of a sustainable freight network across Ireland. 'One of the first things we need to do to achieve this is connect our ports by rail and the reinstatement of our Limerick to Foynes rail link is a first key move on our behalf to do this. Reconnecting the port of Foynes to the rail network will drive growth in bulk and intermodal traffic and it will also support opportunities with mining and offshore power generation in the region.' The environmental impact of increasing rail freight is compelling, he said, as it can help in reducing Ireland's transport impact on the environment and air quality 'Transport is responsible for approximately one fifth of all emissions nationally so the expansion of modern rail freight facilities and services can help divert significant volumes away from road haulage and help achieve decarbonisation and environmental targets across the regions.
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Monday 2 September : Shannon Foynes Port has today unveiled a new jetty expansion and logistics park in a key step on the journey propelling Shannon Estuary as a national and international supply chain hub of scale.
The record '32m investment, which is co-funded by Shannon Foynes Port and the EU's 'Connecting Europe Facility' (CEF), is a key enabler of the company's Vison masterplan that targets the Estuary's establishment as a global floating offshore wind hub and a freight logistics cluster that will, in particular, decongest the Irish supply chain network.
The two-year programme of works has delivered an additional 117m jetty, 12,000m2 of jetty set/down storage by linking the existing east and west jetties at Foynes Port. It has also delivered one of Ireland's largest serviced, advanced port logistics parks nearby, a 38ha site with planning permission for 127,000ft already granted and with immediate potential for a further 400,000 sq ft of modern logistics warehousing to be developed. The expansion of the new port facilities was officially launched today in Foynes by James Lawless, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics and by Patrick O'Donovan, TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
Speaking at the event, Minister Lawless said, 'As an island nation our ports are crucial for economy, with 90% of Ireland's traded goods passing through our ports. Shannon Foynes is one of our three Tier 1 ports in Ireland and has served this part of the island particularly well, but this expansion reflects both the ambition and opportunity of the port to deepen its impact significantly at a national level but also internationally in the area of offshore energy and logistics supply chain.
'The works we are unveiling here are essentially enablers of this strategy and a key moment on a journey that is focused on a new and unprecedented era of economic growth for this region and, indeed, the entire island. This project is a crucial development in the regional development of our national economy. This is something I believe in passionately. I am a Minister for all of Ireland and I am proud to lead this opening as part of my ongoing agenda and itinerary where I am delighted to visit and open projects like this.'
Minister O'Donovan said, 'This investment we are unveiling today is all about the future, about ensuring that we have the infrastructure in place not just in this region but in Ireland to create a future where economic growth and sustainability go hand in glove. Shannon Foynes Port has been planning for that future as far back as a decade ago with the launch of its masterplan Vision and a great thing about what we are unveiling today also is that it is a port authority that clearly delivers on its ambition.'
Shannon Foynes Port CEO Pat Keating said, 'We're building for the future here and we are effectively enabling the future here. It's a future that we all want for generations following us as we're investing heavily in infrastructure that will do two things. One is to accelerate our journey as a nation to become a world leader in offshore renewable energy by harnessing our limitless wind energy capacity off the Atlantic seaboard. The second thing is that this same infrastructure will enhance our freight capacity massively by giving us extra quayside capacity and providing for one of the largest port logistics parks in the country.
'When you couple that with the investment by Irish Rail in reestablishing the rail link to Foynes and by government in the development of the new Limerick to Foynes road, which will give us motorway and dual-carriage way access direct to the port, we will have a Tier 1 port here that is amongst the most accessible in Europe. The net effect of that also is that we will now be within two and half hours of 75% of Ireland's GDP. So, we not alone help power the economy, but we decongest it at the same time. That means business growth for this region, that means unprecedented access to freight goods for other regions and it also means decongestion of our capital city.'
Shannon Foynes Port Chairperson Michael Walsh said, 'The opportunity ahead is unparalleled for Ireland thanks to the confluence of assets here on the Estuary. Its unrivalled deep waters, proximity to some of the most powerful winds in the world and soon to be radically enhanced multi-modal connectivity, means that we are on the cusp of something very significant here. You need a plan, and you need the people to make that happen and today confirms we at Shannon Foynes Port have both. This is one step on a journey that has some distance to go but one that I've every confidence will be travelled. Shannon Foynes Port has a key role in delivering this opportunity for Ireland.'
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Innovation, team-work and hard work of students stand out as eyes are opened wide to Shannon Estuary and west coast wind potential
Winning captain says we can make the future better with wind
Sunday 28 April : The future is in safe hands and very much about sustainability, Shannon Foynes Port Chief Executive Pat Keating stated as he applauded students from across the Shannon Estuary for their vision for the future at the 4th Compass schools competition final. Hosted at the newly renovated Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum at the weekend, the competition, themed 'Shooting the Breeze', saw five schools shortlisted for the grand final set out their vision for a future entirely powered from renewable energy by harvesting our infinite wind supply off the west coast through floating wind energy. Some 250 plus attendees, including students and teachers, poured into the venue for the event as four finalists from Limerick ' two from Salesian College Pallaskenry and one each from Ardscoil Ris and Laurel Hill Secondary School - battled it out with the sole Clare finalist, St Joseph's Secondary School Spanish Point. And it was the most westerly school in the competition, St. Joseph's Spanish Point, that walked away with the top prize and a '2,000 cheque for the school, a school facing right into the teeth of the very offshore winds that inspired the competition and that will drive Ireland's transformation into an international renewable energy hub. The winning team members each received an iPad for their efforts and a Gold Commemorative Medal. Each of the runners up also received a silver medal and a days' sailing on the Shannon Estuary sponsored by Foynes Yacht Club. The port authority organised biennial competition tasked TY students in counties Clare, Kerry and Limerick to envisage, through a short film and presentation, what realising the unprecedented renewable energy opportunity on the Shannon Estuary can do for the region and nation's future. The status of the competition was also reflected by the attendance of two cabinet ministers Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Patrick O'Donovan, as well as Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Niall Collins, Member of European Parliament Sean Kelly, Dail Deputies Richard O'Donoghue and Michael McNamara and Senator Ned O'Sullivan. Commenting following the announcement of the winner, Shannon Foynes Port CEO Pat Keating said that the participation rate amongst schools and students and the standard of presentations suggest that the competition objective of raising the awareness of the immense opportunities afforded by the Port Company and the Shannon Estuary is being achieved. 'It's hugely important that the wider public understands what the opportunity from the Shannon Estuary and offshore winds is and that includes our younger generation as it's their future. The exciting piece is that their ambitions and ours, as the competition showed, are aligned around sustainability. So, this competition enables us to share with them that the world they want to emerge, a sustainable world, is a world that can be enabled by the Shannon Estuary becoming a truly international renewable energy hub.' Captain of the winning team Róisín Molohan said that the school was both delighted and surprised by the win and the experience had certainly heightened understanding of the immense offshore wind resource that the school looks out into every day. And she expressed the desire of all the participants in the event for offshore wind energy to be realized. 'We're all very shocked. We saw the other teams' presentations and they were all amazing so we're just we're so happy and we're so shocked that we won it. But it's great and we're so happy because we worked really hard on it,' she said. 'We weren't aware at all of the offshore wind opportunity. But this competition really opened our eyes. It's our kids and our grandchildren's world that is going to be affected by this. So, we're just trying to make the world the best we possibly can. Whoever out there is responsible for making this happen, as young people, we want this to happen, and we need it to happen.' Education Minister Norma Foley said that competition reflects the wishes of young people today. 'I think the Shannon Estuary is a magnificent backdrop for today's competition. The competition is very much focused on an opportunity for young people to appreciate the potential of the ports here. These young people are beacons if you like. Not just for today, but for tomorrow and generations to come. So, as we hear their voice today, I urge people to listen to their voice. It is a voice of truth and honesty and investment into the future,' she said. Minister for Higher Education Patrick O'Donovan said great credit is due to the Shannon Foynes Port Company for running the competition. 'In my role now as Minister for Further and Higher Education, what I am trying to encourage young people to do is to look at alternatives to the traditional route into third level. There's no doubt about it, but here in the southwest of Ireland, the big opportunity will be in the capturing of the energy that's out in the North Atlantic,' he said. Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Niall Collins noted that it was 'future of our country talking about the future of our country'. He said, 'This is a really great day because it's allowing our students to tell us exactly what they want for their future. The younger generation absolutely want to see the Shannon Estuary turning green. They want the West Coast offshore energy projects. This is exactly what the younger generations want.' Chairman of the Judging Panel, Shannon Foynes Port Harbour Master Michael Kennelly said that the panel was struck by the understanding of the students around the floating offshore wind opportunity. 'I think that it was evident that the students certainly now have a great understanding, if they didn't have before the competition, of what the potential is from the estuary, from offshore wind and, indeed, the opportunity from all of this for their future. It really was an excellent event and we were so impressed with the innovation shown by the schools, their imagination and their teamwork, which was something we were certainly looking out for.' The judging panel also included Assistant Engineer at Shannon Foynes Port Tom Treacy, CEO of Shannon Chamber Helen Downes; CEO of Tralee Chamber Colette O'Connor, Skillnet Manager at Limerick Chamber Michael MacCurtain and Theatre Producer, Film/TV Co-Ordinator and Arts Consultant Marketa Dowling. The student were also treated to an inspirational questions and answers session, compered by MC Seamus Hennessy, with Irish hockey star Róisín Upton, Performance Psychologist with Limerick Hurling Academy and Lecturer on Psychology of Exam Preparation & Performance Pat McCarthy, and Kerry footballer Jason Foley. Shannon Foynes Port partnered on this year's competition with the Hunt Museum, leveraging off its 'Nights Candles are Burnt Out' exhibition, which charts the previous renewable energy revolution off the Shannon system via the development almost a century ago of the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme at Ardnacrusha.Read more
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Mid-West TY students will be 'Shooting the Breeze' in short-film competition on the Shannon Estuary as an international renewable energy hub.
Shannon Foynes Port COMPASS competition, supported by Hunt Museum, returns to deepen awareness of estuary opportunity. Friday, 19 January : TY students across the Mid-West are being given an opportunity, in the return of the Shannon Foynes Port Company Compass schools competition, to have their say on our future by visualising the transformational potential of the Shannon Estuary as a global renewable energy hub in the decades ahead. Organised by the port authority, the biennial competition will be an opportunity for TY students in counties Clare, Kerry and Limerick to create a short film that predicts what realising the unprecedented renewable energy opportunity on the Shannon Estuary will do for the region and nation. Themed 'Shooting the Breeze', the competition returns for the first time since pre-COVID and has a top prize of '2,000 for the winning school. Students create a film of a maximum duration of seven minutes that will focus on the impact of wind power, what it will deliver in terms of sustainability and the downstream economic opportunities as the Shannon Estuary becomes the production hub for Ireland's estimated 80GW of offshore wind ' ten times our domestic requirement - waiting to be tapped off the Atlantic seaboard. Shannon Foynes Port is partnering on this year's competition with the Hunt Museum, leveraging off its 'Nights Candles are Burnt Out' exhibition, which charts the previous renewable energy revolution of the Shannon system via the development almost a century ago of the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme at Ardnacrusha. Students will get ample inspiration and insight for their film by visiting the captivating exhibition, which is free to all schools participating in 'Shooting the Breeze'. Information Packs and Entry Forms for the competition are available from ; 069 . Entry forms must be returned by 31st January , with a further eight weeks for the TY teams to create their short-film, which must be submitted by March 21st . The five Best Film Nominations will be announced on April 8th, with the chosen teams presenting their films at the Gala Awards Event in the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum on April 26th. Shannon Foynes Port Chief Executive Pat Keating said: 'COMPASS has been a great instrument for growing awareness among the youth of the region of the opportunity for the Shannon Estuary to become an international renewable energy generation hub. Participating schools have found it beneficial in terms of gaining awareness of our unique opportunity in this region to lead Ireland's and influence Europe's green transition, but they have really enjoyed the process. So, we would encourage as many as possible to enter. Our partnership with the Hunt Museum is an extra attraction as students visiting the exhibition will get plenty of inspiration and insight from it for their short film.' Mr Keating added: 'Returning this year with the competition is particularly timely following the publication last year of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce report, which sets out just why the Shannon Estuary can become the green digital powerhouse for the country and export huge volumes of renewable energy to Europe. This is a cue for these young film makers and I've no doubt that this will be a project they will be passionate about given this generation's focus on and demand for the sustainable future that the Estuary can deliver.' Sinead Hutchison, Exhibition & Events Manager at Hunt Museum, said, 'We're delighted to partner with Shannon Foynes Port on Shooting the Breeze. This is all about the future but learnings from the past can certainly inspire the future and museums are enablers of that. What happened on the Shannon system here almost 100 years ago, which is the subject of our Nights Candles are Burnt Out exhibition, with Ardnacrusha is not just inspiration for the students participating in this competition but is an inspiration to everyone, including government, to go after today's opportunity on the Shannon Estuary. Ardnacrusha was one of the top engineering feats in the world in its day, was what the Hoover Dam in the US was modelled on and yet this was committed to and developed in the very early years of our state. If we replicate that courage today, it will bring us to a whole new and better world tomorrow and that's what this competition will showcase.' A panel of independent judges will adjudicate on the film submissions and pay particular attention to creativity, knowledge, ingenuity and presentation of the outcomes. Evidence of teamwork is also essential. In addition to the '2,000 for their school, the winning team will also receive the coveted COMPASS Trophy. Each team member also receives an iPad & Commemorative Medal. The runner up prizes for each of the five teams are Commemorative Medals and Sailing Day at Foynes Yacht Club.Read more
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This week SFPC had a special visit from our local photographer Patrick Fitzgerald.
Patrick dedicates hours of his time photographing vessels berthing / sailing in and out of the Shannon Estuary.
It was a pleasure to have him here to meet our Marine Operations Team and on to'
Day 5 of hashtag#irishportsafetyweek
On the final day of a very enjoyable week, we held two very beneficial exercises in Ted Russell Docks and at our Pilot Station in Cappa. Swift Water Ireland carried out a Man Overboard Exercise which was open to staff and port users, while'
Day 4 of hashtag#irishportsafetyweek
Niaron gave a very informative presentation on the hazards associated with working at height to a large group of port stakeholders.
Senior Inspection Ger McSweeney of the HSA gave an informative workshop regarding the many hazards within the'
#irishportsafetyweek
Day 3 and what a day.
SFPC were delighted with the turn out for our Port Clean-up Campaign this morning. Thanks to all of those who rolled up their sleeves to get involved, it is much appreciated.
After a full month of clocking up the kilometers we took on'
Day two at SFPC '. #IrishPortSafetyWeek
Our Employee Wellness Initiative continued with a detailed health screening programme for staff in Ted Russell Docks.
Brendan Lynch was onsite to complete Slinger / Signaller assessments, all of whom we are delighted to say passed with'
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