THE MINISTER FOR the Marine Simon Coveney has criticised operational decisions that led to a 7,000-tonne ship running aground off the Connemara coast.

The German-owned Pantanal was successfully refloated yesterday evening in a delicate operation to ensure that the 370 tonnes of heavy marine fuel on board did not enter Irish waters.

Minister Coveney travelled to Ros a Mhíl yesterday to inspect the situation in which the Pantanal ran aground in Cashla Bay. He told RTE that the incident should not have happened and that the ship’s captain had ignored advice from the Ros a Mhíl harbourmaster not to anchor where it did during a severe weather warning.

The Irish marine authorities are conducting an investigation into the sequence of events that led to the Pantanal running aground.

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Investigation due as 7,000-tonne ship refloated

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