The sinking of a former smuggling vessel into Killala Bay for it to become an artificial reef which was due to take place this Sunday, has been postponed until next week as a result of unfavourable weather conditions.
The MV Shingle was seized by Customs officers at Drogheda Port as part of a €14m tobacco seizure in 2014 and was held by the Revenue Commission.
It sat in the dry dock at New Ross for the past ten years.
Earlier this year, a Maritime Area Consent licence was granted to the Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef project team, a group of diving enthusiasts, to allow them to tow the Shingle to Killala Bay for sinking.
Planning permission was then granted by Mayo County Council in July of this year for the preparation, transportation, positioning 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 up to Killala will take three days and upon arrival, a company has been employed to prepare the ship for sinking.
It is now likely that it will be either next Wednesday or Thursday before the ship arrives in Killala Bay.
As Ireland’s first artificial reef, it is hoped that the project will bring a major tourism boost to the region.
