More than 60 submissions for estuary plan

MORE than 60 submissions have been received as part of the public consultation process on the draft Shannon Estuary Strategic Integrated Framework Plan.

 

One of the detailed ­submissions is in relation to the site for a proposed intercontinental container trans-shipment hub port next to the ESB Moneypoint power station.

News of the submissions were revealed at the March meeting of the six West Clare county councillors. The councillors asked Clare County Council to designate the site at Ballymacrinan Bay as either a new ­strategic site or an enlarged ­Moneypoint site in the Shannon Estuary Integrated Framework Plan (SIFP).

“These submissions are currently being examined by the consultants and assessed by the steering group,” Ger Dollard, Clare County Council director of service, said on behalf of the local authority.

“On completion of this process, a final draft plan will then be available, which it is intended would form part of the variation to the County Development Plans of the local authorities involved in the SIFP process,” Mr Dollard added.

In March, a number of West Clare area county councillors met with ­representatives of Dublin-based consulting ­engineering firm, NJ O’Gorman and Associates Ltd in Kilrush, to discuss plans to develop the hub port next to the ESB Moneypoint power station.

However, the identity of the main firm behind the proposal, which could create more than 200 full-time jobs and 300 during the ­construction phase, was not revealed.

The trans-shipment hub concept is being ­facilitated by the development of ­intercontinental container ships, known as mother ships, which have capacities of up to 15,000 TEUs (20 feet equivalent units).

At the hub port, the containers are offloaded from the mother ships and transferred onto smaller ships such as coasters, which serve satellite ports.

Other containers are ­transferred to the container yard to await trans-shipment. The mother ships are reloaded with containers, which have been received at the trans-shipment hub from satellite ports for onward transportation to the next intercontinental hub port.