Commercial Fisheries Pontoon Installed At Arklow Harbour

Wicklow County Council, in collaboration with renewable energy company SSE Renewables, has delivered a long awaited €400,000 commercial pontoon along the South Quay within Arklow Harbour South Dock.

This new infrastructure was funded by the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine under the Brexit Adjustment: Local Authority Marine Infrastructure (BALAMI) Scheme 2022-2023, with significant partnership funding through the SSE Renewables Arklow Bank Wind Park 2 Fisheries Fund.

 The new structure, which consists of approximately 90 linear metres by 2m wide of heavy-duty pontoon running parallel to the existing Quay wall, with heavy-duty fingers extending perpendicular from the main structure will significantly improve, capacity, accessibility, safety and working conditions. 

 Welcoming the new infrastructure, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr Aoife Flynn Kennedy said: “The pontoon is a welcome addition to Arklow Harbour, contributing to the local economy and providing facilities both for Fishers and other marine based businesses. It will also significantly improve safety and working conditions for local users.”

Emer O’Gorman, Chief Executive, Wicklow County Council, added: “Wicklow County Council is committed to the development of the facilities in Arklow Harbour as it is a valuable community resource. I wish to acknowledge the funding received from the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine through the BALAMI Scheme 2022-2023 as well as the support and financial contribution from SSE Renewables to this project.”

Kaj Christiansen, Development Manager, SSE Renewables, expressed his appreciation to Wicklow County Council for their management of the project, and stated that: “SSE Renewables is delighted to have been in a position to support this valuable piece of infrastructure for Arklow Harbour through our annual Fisheries Fund. The commercial fisheries community is an important stakeholder group and we hope to continue to support locally based operators throughout the project’s lifecycle building on our model of co-existence and cooperation.

“We are committed to our investment into Arklow Harbour from where we will operate the wind farm from a state-of-the-art operations and maintenance facility (OMF) and so it is a pleasure to already be supporting our future neighbours and contributing to enhanced harbour safety and productivity.”