A FORMER SMUGGLER’S ship will complete an unusual ten-year stint in Ireland when its tugged to the seabed off Co Mayo, where it will be sunk to create the country’s first artificial reef.

The MV Shingle was intercepted by authorities when it was used in an attempt to transport a shipment that led to the seizure of 32 million cigarettes and 4.5 tonnes of tobacco in 2014.

In May 2017, the High Court made an order for the forfeiture of the MV Shingle to the State.

Since then, it has mainly sat in storage as authorities tried to figure out what to do with the boat.

The ship is set to be scuttled tomorrow and used as a diving wreck off the West coast to form an artificial reef.

“We’re really looking forward to tomorrow. Between 3pm to 3.30pm tomorrow, we hope to see the MV Shingle at the bottom of the sea bed in Killala Bay,” Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Loftus told Midwest Radio this afternoon. 

The company behind the project KBS2R – standing for Killala Bay Ship 2 Reef – said it wants to transform the old ship into an “Atlantic underwater oasis” by creating a tourism attraction for divers off Killala Bay.

Earlier this year, a Maritime Area Consent licence was granted to KBS2R to allow them to tow the Shingle to Killala Bay.

Planning permission was granted by Mayo County Council in July for the preparation, transportation and placement of the MV Shingle on the seabed of Killala Bay.

The towing operation to bring the ship from the port at New Ross to Killala took three days in total to complete. It is due to arrive in Killala Bay this afternoon.

The ship will be scuttled tomorrow. Coastwatch Coastwatch

As Ireland’s first artificial reef, it is hoped that the project can bring a boost in diving tourism to the west of Ireland as well as promoting local marine ecology.

The ship had sat in Dublin Port for years as Revenue, which had responsibility for it after its seizure, examined proposals to put it to another use.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Revenue said it has donated the MV Shingle to the KBS2R group to “support their efforts to create an artificial reef in Killala Bay to encourage biodiversity and tourism in the area” off the west coast.

“Revenue is very pleased to be involved in this unique and exciting project and congratulates KBS2R on the initiative,” it said.

It explained that the relocation and placing of the vessel on the seabed will be carried out in line with the Maritime Area Consent (MAC) licence that has been granted to the KBS2R group, and in accordance with recent Planning Permission granted by Mayo County Council.

Coast Watch Ireland, an environmental NGO, said it had a number of concerns about the plan.

Coastwatch national coordinator Karin Dubsky said the ship “could have been broken up with materials recycled” and features re-used.

She added that it will be a case study for future marine and coastal developments, and urged the government to hold discussions around how to better the systems involved.

“A new approach is virtually certain to have teething pains and issues to be resolved,” the group also said.

“It is essential that we scrutinise and monitor the process closely, so we learn quickly for future cases. Not just other disused boats and ship scuttling cases, but the wider marine and coastal planning, permit and management system.

“We would like government and agencies to have an open workshop to discuss this case and possible ways to improve the permitting, monitoring and management systems.”