New plans for Irish Sea Survival Training Centre

Training in survival techniques is a mandatory requirement for all fishermen before they go to sea but challenging existing attitudes can be difficult.

Tara McCarthy, BIM’s CEO, said, “With an average of four fishermen losing their lives at sea every year, preparing fishermen for the worst case scenario is crucial to reducing fatalities. The new centre will allow our trainers to test what fishermen have learnt in the classroom with the reality of a genuine incident at sea,” she added.

The new €1.5m development will include a 15m simulator pool with wave machine, water spray unit and fans to emulate extreme weather conditions, two changing areas, a self-contained heating unit capable of maintaining water temperate of 23-28°C, a water treatment unit and a classroom for 16 students.

It joins the training infrastructure already in place at the college, including a fire fighting unit, a fully integrated fishing vessel simulator, vessel dry land trawler deck, engine room and workshop and seven classrooms.

Joe McHugh TD, minister of state at the Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs and the Department of Communications with Special Responsibility for Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources, said, “When you consider that 53 fishermen have lost their lives at sea in the last 10 years and, according to national figures, fishing is approximately 13 times more dangerous than construction and 36 times more dangerous than general employment, we must ensure we are providing our fishermen with the safest boats, the best technology and the best training to prepare them for all eventualities.”

Last year saw 1,700 students trained on 207 courses in 25 locations and this new facility will bolster the existing service.

The training centre is expected to be completed by 2017 and will serve fishermen from Clare, Galway, Sligo, Donegal and the northern counties of the east coast including Louth and Dublin.