A swimmer dives into the Forty Foot last August with the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship docked off Dun Laoghaire in the background.

PLANS are progressing for Ireland’s first-ever jumbo cruise ship berth at Dun Laoghaire.

Authorities in the south Dublin maritime town have launched a geological study of their harbour’s seabed and ramped up their marketing efforts, while planning permission is expected within the year, meaning work on the €15m project could begin before the end of 2014.

The cruise ship berth will be a first for Dublin and the first to allow jumbo or “next generation” cruise ships to come to shore in Ireland. Cruise ships are currently forced to anchor off the coast if they wish to stop at the capital, since there are no suitable docking facilities available. Their passengers must then be transported to the shore using smaller boats known as “tenders”.

This is too time-consuming for larger cruise ships with thousands of passengers, meaning they rarely visit Ireland. To address this, the idea of a Dun Laoghaire-based berth, allowing cruise ships to dock by land, was floated last year.

Now the Irish Independent can reveal just how rapidly plans are progressing. The initial stages of a planning application have been completed, with a decision expected later this year. Sources said they are confident planning approval will not be a problem.

An investigation being commissioned into the harbour’s seabed will, meanwhile, reveal just how difficult dredging should be. Authorities said there is no bedrock involved and that only silt and clay will be removed, limiting the cost and environmental impact of the works.

The next step is securing the actual cruise liners. Some 25 have already been confirmed for 2015. Last year, Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company managed to secure a high-profile visit from the Queen Mary 2, the most expensive liner ever built.

The number of cruise passengers visiting Ireland could quadruple in the next decade if the right facilities are in place, an Oireachtas committee heard last year. Only 100,000 cruise visitors came to Dublin last year, despite a concerted effort to attract cruise ships to Dublin Bay.

The people behind the Dun Laoghaire berth are aiming for Dublin to match Copenhagen, which had a million visitors last year.

Online Editors