Submission in respect of review

Summary

The proposed relocation and expansion of the Port of (“the Port”) provides an opportunity for the Irish Defence Forces to establish a new naval base at the Port. The new Port of Galway will be a modern, sustainable port facility, well connected by sea with Europe and beyond, and with ready access to modern rail, motorway and telecommunications links. A new port will also enable the redevelopment of 17 acres of prime development land and create a new urban quarter for housing, commercial activity, culture and leisure for the benefit of residents and visitors alike.

This submission sets out the benefits of an enhanced Naval presence in Galway. These are summarised below: - Removal of restrictions at the Port of Galway: Access to the Port is restricted to 4 hours per day at present. The size of vessel that can be accommodated at the Port is also limited. The expanded and relocated Port will facilitate the vessels of the future with no limitation on sailing/arrival. - Naval capacity and response capability: ’s ability to service its vast sea area, particularly off its West Coast, would be better served by the establishment of a new base; the Port of Galway is ideally situated in this regard. - Harnessing our Ocean Wealth: The Government plans to enable Ireland’s marine potential to be realised will lead to increased levels of economic activity which will require additional patrolling of Irish waters. - Increased activity off our West Coast, including Offshore Wind: An expected increase in shipping traffic and the deployment and service/maintenance of offshore wind is likely to result in a significant increase in marine activity off our West Coast. - Enforcement of MSP and proposed new marine planning framework: An increased naval presence will be required to support enforcement in order to ensure adherence to this new legislation. - Security of subsea data cables: This new infrastructure will require protection and additional Naval resources. - Brexit: As a result of Brexit, there is a shift of fishing vessels, which traditionally fish in the Irish Sea in UK waters, moving to fish off the West Coast. This increased traffic needs to be monitored. - Navy’s carbon footprint: The establishment of a naval base at a relocated and expanded Port of Galway will assist the Navy in its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. - Navy recruitment and retention: The establishment of a permanent base at Galway will attract people from the West of Ireland who are interested in a career with the Naval Service and will better enable the Navy to recruit and retain new personnel. The proximity of the Port of Galway to NUIG, GMIT, other educational institutions and the Marine Institute should facilitate the training of personnel based at a new base in Galway.

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- Economic Stimulus: The establishment of a new naval base in Galway will serve as a significant economic stimulus to Galway in terms of permanent jobs and associated consumer spending. - Facilities at or adjacent to the Port: Support services are already on site which can support the Irish Navy in establishing a base at the proposed new Port. A new base at Galway could also avail of excess capacity at Barracks.

Background

The Port of Galway (“The Port”) is proud of its longstanding relationship with the Irish Defence Forces.

The Port is the home port of LÉ William Butler Yeats and we regularly host other Navy vessels. The army barracks at Renmore is home to the 1st Infantry Battalion, with whom we also share a longstanding relationship. This barracks is adjacent to the Port’s estate.

In addition to the provision of port facilities, we have also engaged with the Defence Forces in many ways over the years across a number of projects. These include the following:

- In 2020, Covid 19 testing carried out by the Defence Forces was facilitated on port lands. - The Defence Forces played a key role in the success of the Seafest festival which was held in Galway for 3 years (29 June–1 July 2018, 30 June–2 July 2017, 2–3 July 2016) - The Defence Forces were integral to the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in 2009 and the hosting of the final leg of the same race in 2012. - We assisted the Navy during an EU summit meeting held in Galway in 2004.

The Port has lodged a planning application to relocate and expand its facilities (see Appendix 1). A new port facility will enable the Port to:

● Provide enhanced port facilities to existing customers and businesses in the West of Ireland. ● Better facilitate the deployment of onshore and offshore wind energy projects. The development of floating offshore wind off Ireland’s Atlantic Coast represents a “once in a generation” economic opportunity for our region and a relocated and expanded Port of Galway can play a key role in this effort. ● A relocated and expanded Port would enable the regeneration of 17 acres of prime inner-city lands and provides an opportunity to develop a vibrant new neighbourhood in the heart of Galway. ● A relocated Port would enable the reconfiguration of the current dock gates and dock basin to flood gates and a flood basin and provide a key element of Galway’s overall flood defence solution. ● Provide enhanced facilities to Ireland’s and foreign research ships.

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In addition to the above, a relocated and expanded Port of Galway could significantly enhance facilities for the Irish Navy.

In our view, improved facilities for the Navy at the Port of Galway are necessary for a number of reasons. These are detailed below:

Current restrictions at the Port of Galway

Currently, access to the Port is limited to 4 hours per day at 2 intervals of 2 hours. In addition, the size of vessel that can be accommodated at the current Port is limited. The gated Port at Galway does not give the Navy 24-hour access/egress in the event that there is an incident offshore to which the navy may need to respond. If the gates are closed, the response time to an incident could be delayed by 10 hours; this is clearly unsatisfactory in the event of an emergency.

The proposed new Port would enable the naval vessels of the future (likely to be 138m in length) to be accommodated at the Port over the medium to long term with no limitation on sailing/arrival. The ability of the Port to facilitate the vessels of the future in Galway will better equip the Navy to carry out its functions off the West Coast, to include emergency vessel towing (Ports of Refuge) and the arrest of fishing vessels for fishing infringements.

Naval capacity

Ireland has 12% of the EU’s sea area and this sea area is ten times the size of the island of Ireland. Ireland’s ability to effectively patrol this area is likely to be compromised if the Navy’s current fleet of nine ships is not increased. Our naval services currently operate from one permanent base in Haulbowline in Cork Harbour. Ireland’s ability to service its vast sea

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Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth

Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth (“HOOW”) is Ireland’s first integrated marine plan. HOOW has a shared vision as follows:

“Our ocean wealth will be a key element of our economic recovery and sustainable growth, generating benefits for all our citizens, supported by coherent policy, planning regulation, and managed in an integrated manner”.

It established three high level goals based on the concept of sustainable development.

● Goal 1 focuses on a thriving maritime economy, whereby Ireland harnesses the market opportunities to achieve economic recovery and socially inclusive, sustainable growth. ● Goal 2 sets out to achieve healthy ecosystems that provide monetary and non- monetary goods and services (e.g., food, climate, health and well-being). ● Goal 3 aims to increase our engagement with the sea. Building on our rich maritime heritage, our goal is to strengthen our maritime identity and increase our awareness of the value (market and nonmarket), opportunities and social benefits of engaging with the sea.

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HOOW was published in 2012 and Ireland is in the process of developing a successor to HOOW. While challenges have arisen from Covid 19 and Brexit, within this challenging context, there remain opportunities for economic growth, particularly in emerging sectors such as offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, marine biotechnology and the bioeconomy. Globally, the OECD estimated that the marine economy could double in size between 2010 and 2030, reaching around USD 3 trillion in 2030 (OECD, 2016). While the Covid 19 pandemic may slow down the rate of growth in the short-term, the longer-term potential for growth remains.

Key areas of technical advance include artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and big data alongside progress in material science and biotechnology. Research and innovation are fundamental in underpinning these technical developments and Ireland has particular strengths in key areas including ICT, marine survey and aquaculture research and the wider marine bioeconomy.

As such, Ireland has a real opportunity to generate further economic growth from the marine sector and the Government clearly has ambitious goals to enable our marine potential to be realised. These plans will lead to increased levels of economic activity which, in turn, will necessitate additional patrolling by our Defence Forces in Irish waters.

Increased activity off our Atlantic Coast

As the West Coast of Ireland falls outside the Ultra-Low Sulphur Fuel Oil for transiting ships, there is an increasing number of ships now navigating the West Coast (because they can burn cheaper fuel with higher sulphuric content of 0.5% mm). With increased shipping traffic brings increased risk of sea pollution, emissions and search and rescue requirements.

As the polar ice cap melts, the Northern Sea Route is expected to become navigable during the summer months for commercial shipping by 2025. This new route will open up shipping from the Far East to Europe, which is 30% shorter than the current routes, and result in less fuel, less time and less cost for shipping companies. It will also result in more Russian and Chinese ships entering the Atlantic from a relatively shorter sea passage. It will give these countries a commercial edge in terms of cost efficiency. Currently, the Baltic Fleet have to navigate from their base at Kaliningrad where they can be monitored by German, Polish, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish surveillance. As a result of the ice melting, we will see more Russian and Japanese fishing vessels in the Atlantic. These vessels will need monitoring to ensure the resources of the EU are protected (fish, oil and gas, subsea data cables, offshore renewable devices).

The deployment and service/maintenance of offshore wind is also likely to result in a significant increase in marine activity off our West Coast.

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Enforcement of proposed new marine planning framework

A programme of significant reform is under way to deliver a modern, integrated marine planning system.

The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is leading a whole-of- government approach to the development of Ireland's first marine spatial plan. The plan, which is known as the National Marine Planning Framework (“NMPF”) will set out the Government's long term planning objectives and priorities for the management of our seas over a 20-year time frame. It will create an overarching framework for marine decision making that is consistent, evidence based and secures a sustainable future for Ireland's marine area. A draft NMPF has been published.

The Government is also developing new legislation to modernise elements of the marine development management and enforcement systems. The Marine Planning and Development Management Bill is expected to be finalised shortly and will:

● Establish a statutory basis for the preparation of a Marine Planning Policy Statement; ● Introduce powers for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government to put in place statutory marine planning guidelines (parallel to statutory planning guidelines under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000); ● Provide an enhanced statutory basis for marine forward planning; ● Introduce a single State consent system for the maritime area whereby the Ministers for Housing, Planning and Local Government and Communications, Climate Action and Environment will assume responsibility for the State consents for the control of the foreshore, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf elements of the maritime area as appropriate and the granting of leave to apply for development consent/planning permission to An Bord Pleanála/local authorities for projects under their jurisdiction; ● Eliminate the unnecessary duplication of development management processes (including environmental assessments) for activities or developments that are currently assessed under both the foreshore and planning regimes; and ● Introduce a single development management process for the Maritime Area for activities or developments that come within the remits of the Ministers for Housing, Planning and Local Government & Communications, Climate Action and Environment (including, oil and gas production, minerals extraction and offshore renewable energy). These transitional arrangements will, amongst other things, provide a future development management pathway for legacy offshore renewable energy projects.

By bringing together these elements of forward planning and streamlined development management and enforcement, this new legislation will be a cornerstone of the future marine planning system in Ireland. It will be a key enabler of Ireland's ability to deliver on our obligations under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and OSPAR Convention, our climate change and renewable energy targets, and on future ports development.

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An increased naval presence will be required to support enforcement in order to ensure that this new legislation is properly adhered to. A new enforcement agency will be set up and require access to the West Coast. The Port of Galway is ideally situated to accommodate a branch of this proposed new agency.

Security of data cables

Planning permission has been granted for a Cable Landing Station (“CLS”) at the Port of Galway. The CLS is part of an end-to-end hi speed subsea data connection of Iceland with Ireland at Galway known as FARICE. The cable route survey from the 15m depth contour in Galway Bay to the 12-mile limit has been completed and the remainder of this survey will be completed in 2021. The subsea cable lay is to commence in Q1 2022 from Iceland to Galway. The second data cable, known as PISCES, is to be laid from Portugal via Bilbao, to Galway in 2024. Discussions are ongoing regarding a third data cable from the Far East direct to Galway. These three cables will link Ireland (Galway) directly to other markets in the EU, USA and the Far East.

The data speed that will be delivered in the Icelandic cable is 53 terabytes per second or 16 million times faster than the existing data speeds in Galway today. This new infrastructure will require protection and will impact on Naval Service planning.

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Brexit

As a result of Brexit, there is a shift of fishing vessels, which traditionally fish in the Irish Sea in UK waters, moving to fish off the West Coast. This increased traffic needs to be monitored. There is also a need for increased monitoring of UK registered fishing vessels along the sea border between Ireland and Northern Ireland along the North West coast.

Navy’s carbon footprint

As is the case with all organisations and, in particular, State agencies, the Navy is becoming increasingly conscious of the need to reduce its own carbon footprint. The cost of fuel for naval vessels burning unnecessary fuel steaming from Haulbowline to the west coast will be negated by having a base in Galway. We also expect that all new naval ships will be designed to swop over power from onboard auxiliary generators to “cold ironing” or shore power whilst alongside. This has been factored into the design of the new Port of Galway. Given both of the above, the establishment of a naval base at a relocated and expanded Port of Galway will assist the Navy in its efforts to reduce its own carbon footprint.

Navy recruitment and retention

Given the reasons set out above, the Irish Navy is likely to require additional ships and personnel over the years ahead. The establishment of a permanent base at Galway will attract people from the West of Ireland who are interested in a career with the Navy and, as such, will better enable the Navy to recruit and retain new personnel.

Additional personnel at a new base in Galway could be housed at Renmore Army Barracks which is adjacent to the Port of Galway and currently has capacity – this represents an excellent use of an underutilised Defence Forces asset.

Economic Stimulus

Galway is the principal city in the North Western region of Ireland. Our region lags behind the other regions of Ireland in terms of economic activity. The establishment of a new naval base in Galway will serve as a significant economic stimulus to Galway in terms of permanent jobs and associated consumer spending.

The Irish Defence Forces have a long tradition of encouraging and enabling their personnel to improve their skills through the provision of training. The proximity of the Port of Galway to NUIG, GMIT, other educational institutions and the Marine Institute should facilitate the training of personnel based at a new base in Galway. To the extent that well trained personnel leave the Navy, the skills acquired during their time with the Defence Forces will enable them to contribute strongly to economic life after they leave the Defence Forces.

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Facilities at the Port

The Port’s Enterprise Park is home to all the needs of commercial and naval shipping such as engineering fabrication, marine electronics and offshore diving. Support services are already on site which can support the Irish Navy in establishing a base at the new Port.

Conclusion

Activity off Ireland’s Atlantic Coast is expected to significantly increase over the coming years for a variety of reasons. This is recognised and supported by the Irish Government through its “Our Ocean Wealth” strategy. The Government is also in the process of finalising its marine planning framework.

This increased activity, which will be subject to a more robust regulatory framework, will require additional Naval resources. We believe that a relocated and expanded Port of Galway can provide an additional base for the Irish Navy to expand its fleet and personnel numbers to enable it to patrol our Atlantic Coast in the years ahead.

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APPENDIX 1 – Proposed relocation and expansion of the Port of Galway

Existing Port Proposed New Port Maximum ship size 120 LOA 345 LOA Max beam 17.6m Max beam 50m Maximum draft 6.5m (larger vessels on 12m consultation with Harbour Master) Quay length 621m 660m Access Dock gates are open for 2 hours 24 hours before high water at each tide Typical ship size 4,000 – 6,000 tonnes up to 35,000 tonnes

Existing Port Proposed New Port

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