A new 15 metre Sea Survival Training Pool will be officially opened by the Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue at the National Fisheries College in Greencastle this Friday.
The pool will include a wave machine, water spray and fans to simulate extreme weather conditions and will complement the extensive training infrastructure already in place at the college.
Every fisherman working on a vessel must go through safety training every five years.
The opening will include a demonstration of the sea survival drills students will undergo at the facility, all made more lifelike with cold water conditions, waves, and rain.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, who approved the Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s (BIM) proposal for the new unit in 2021, said: “This project is set to significantly increase the college’s capacity and offering.”
“The aim of this new sea survival unit is to significantly increase the professional level of maritime training that BIM provides,” the Minister McConalogue added.
“I welcome BIM’s decision to fit a ‘green pool’ by including an appropriate renewal energy source to fund the pumps, heating and filtration system which is in keeping with national policy and ensure that running costs will be sustainable for the future,” he said.
Earlier this month, Minister McConalogue performed the official opening of the €23 million Greencastle Harbour Breakwater Project.
