Irish Lights set five-year course for navigation
Irish Lights has launched a new five-year strategy which maps out its vision for the delivery of its next generation of maritime navigational services.
The ‘Safe Seas – Connected Coasts 2018-2023’ strategy commits Irish Lights to implementing a combination of new and existing navigation technology, engineering and data management solutions to facilitate Safe Navigation at Sea for commercial shipping, fishing, leisure craft and passenger vessels.
“This strategy strengthens our commitment to working with international partners to test and evaluate new navigation solutions which we expect to emerge in the next five to ten years,” said Yvonne Shields, chief executive of Irish Lights.
Looking forward
The strategy builds on a number of advances made by Irish Lights across its operations in recent years to improve services, reduce costs and deliver positive economic and community benefits.
This includes upgrading lighthouse stations and navigation buoys with energy efficient LED technology, with a reduction of 35% in overall CO2 emissions since 2009.
These lighthouse and buoy energy efficiency upgrade programmes will see Irish Lights Aids to Navigation fully powered by renewable energy by 2023.
The strategy also affirms Irish Lights’ commitment to developing new services with the development of its Coastal Data Service providing reliable access to accurate, near real time weather and sea state observations at selected locations, to promote and contribute to safer navigation at sea.
Irish Lights will do this by working in partnership with other agencies and with industry and working collaboratively with researchers and technology developers to test and develop new equipment, technologies and services.
By Anne-Marie Causer
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