This article is from page 24 of the 2009-05-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 24 JPG
THE global downturn in the ship- ping industry could provide an un- likely windfall for County Clare as plans are being devised to use some of the deep water in the Shannon Es- tuary as a temporary holding space for mothballed large ships.
According to research carried out by shipping experts Howe Robinson, the projected over-supply in shipping capacity between Europe and Asia this year will be a massive 450,000 TEU in 2009 or almost half a million twenty-foot equivalent unit.
With a large over supply in vessel capacity also projected between Eu- rope and America, the demand for deep water storage docks for large boats has increased dramatically.
According to north Clare local elec- tion candidate Paddy Kenneally (Re- publican Sinn Féin), County Clare is
uniquely placed to take advantage of this situation.
‘At the moment the major interna- tional shipping and transport com- panies are cutting the size of their fleets because there is a downturn in business. These ships and tankers will have to be placed in safe anchor- ages and now is the time for the local agencies concerned with promoting the Shannon Estuary to make the case for a ship storage facility utilis- ing the deep waterway,” he said.
“There is nothing stopping Ireland making the case for safe anchorage to the international shipping com- panies. The benefit to Clare would come in anchorage fees, supplies and care and maintenance of the stored Sebo
“In the event of an economic up- turn the ships will be re-deployed for international services by their own-
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