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Displaying items by tag: Green Rebel Marine

Irish offshore energy survey company Green Rebel is among the Irish companies that are scaling rapidly and are showcasing their products in the United States this week as part of Enterprise Ireland's trade mission.

Green Rebel is attending events in Washington DC that focus on sustainability and St Patrick's Day celebrations with An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD.

Founded in Crosshaven in Cork Harbour in 2020, Green Rebel provides a range of survey and data services to the offshore renewable energy (ORE) industry.

It specialises in acquiring, processing, and analyzing marine, aerial, and met-ocean data using its fleet of survey boats and aircraft together with innovative technologies. Green Rebel has ongoing and upcoming projects in Ireland, Scotland, and off the coast of mainland Europe. It is also exploring potential projects in international markets such as the United States and Australia. "The United States represents a huge, developing market for the offshore renewable energy industry," said Kieran Ivers, CEO of Green Rebel. "There is a pipeline of work emerging and Green Rebel wants to be part of it.

An international supply chain will be needed to support the US development. We, at Green Rebel, have already demonstrated our ability to do business in Ireland and Europe from our bases in Cork and Limerick. We are looking forward to building links and developing relationships with the support of Enterprise Ireland."

Kieran Ivers will be attending events with key people from the US Department of Energy, the Chief of Staff to John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and the US Ambassador to Ireland. He was a guest at the American Ireland Funds Gala and will attend the annual St. Patrick's Day Business Lunch and the Irish Embassy Reception.

Green Rebel will also be featured on a special St. Patrick's Day edition of Impact with John Shegerian, a popular weekly podcast that features conversations with some of the greatest business minds and thought leaders across the globe. The St. Patrick's Day trip is organized by Enterprise Ireland, which is hosting more than 50 overseas business events this week showcasing the Irish companies that are scaling rapidly.

Published in Power From the Sea
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Cork Harbour marine tech firm Green Rebel has won the Rising Star Award in association with Enterprise Ireland in the 2023 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards.

This award recognises the innovation and growth achievements of a company which has demonstrated a promising growth trajectory and the potential for inclusion in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 rankings in years to come.

Green Rebel is headquartered in Cork and operates a fleet of vessels and aircraft to map vast areas of the ocean. It has a team of scientists, chemists, engineers, ecologists, vessel crew and support staff across multiple locations in Cork and Limerick.

Kieran Ivers, CEO of Green Rebel said: “This award recognises the progress that has been made in the offshore wind sector in such a short space of time. The economic opportunities that lie ahead for Irish companies are significant and Green Rebel is an example of what can be achieved. The services we offer didn’t exist in Ireland three years ago, and already we’ve positioned ourselves as an organisation which can export these services to meet international demand. The market is there and it is reassuring that the value of offshore wind stays in Ireland, that jobs are created and the talent remains here. Green Rebel’s success is down to our strong teams in Cork and Limerick. We have some of Ireland's foremost scientific and engineering talent delivering to a global standard.”

Published in Power From the Sea
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The Department of Transport has been advised that a geophysical and geotechnical surveys is being undertaken by Green Rebel Marine in the Irish Sea to assess cable burial on behalf of MDM.

The survey work was anticipated to start on Monday 19 June and will be completed by the end of September, subject to weather and operational constraints.

Surveys will be conducted by two vessels: the semi-SWATH catamaran Roman Rebel (callsign 2ICA5) which will conduct 24-hr operations, and the Lady Kathleen (callsign EIXT2), a catamaran which will conduct 12-hr operations. Both vessels will display appropriate lights and signals.

As the survey vessels will be restricted in their ability to manoeuvre when surveying, due to the deployment of the towed survey equipment from the vessel for the duration of the survey activities, other vessels are kindly requested to keep a wide berth.

Mariners are advised to keep continuous watch on VHF Channel 16 when navigating the area.

Coordinates and a map of the survey areas as well as contact details can be found in Marine Notice No 40 of 2023, attached below.

Published in News Update

Cork Harbour Offshore specialists Green Rebel will today (Thursday) share their techniques for mapping and identifying areas of the seabed suitable for wind farm developments with experts from across the globe. The company provides site investigation services to the offshore wind sector.

Jared Peters, Head of Green Rebel’s Marine division, has been invited to speak at the bi-annual Oceanology International Americas conference in San Diego. The three-day event is aimed at those involved in exploring, protecting and sustainably operating in the world’s oceans and waterways.

Green Rebel will present how its approach to geophysical surveys is helping to accelerate and streamline offshore renewable energy developments. It recently carried out a bespoke multi-sensor, multi-client campaign for offshore wind energy, which was one of the first of its kind in the world.

Jared Peters said, “We’re delighted to be asked to share our experiences at such a significant global event. We believe that multi-client surveys are the way forward, meaning the data will be readily available for developers to use. This approach reduces the environmental impact, reduces emissions as well as avoiding any potential disruption for other marine users. We’re committed to working with and around the communities who make a living from the sea and have also successfully located lost fishing gear. Other benefits include accelerating development timelines, reducing costs for developers and the potential to share data for academic research purposes.” 

Jared Peters will be joined on stage by experts from the United States and Germany, including leaders in the field of unmanned submersibles, a former hydrographer from the US Navy and a research associate from the institute for wind energy systems in Bremerhaven.

Green Rebel has a team of over 80 scientists, chemists, engineers, ecologists, vessel crew and business practitioners across multiple locations in Cork and Limerick. It offers offshore wind developers an end-to-end set of data services that extend from acquisition, processing, interpretations and reporting, with their fleet of purpose-built vessels, aircraft, floating LiDAR buoys and an in-house team of scientists and industry experts.

Published in Power From the Sea
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Denis Crotty has been appointed Senior Projects Advisor with Green Rebel. He will be based between Green Rebel’s headquarters in Cork city and Crosshaven Boatyard. Green Rebel is an Irish company specialising in offshore site investigations for offshore wind developments. 

Denis will lead the charge in exploring Crosshaven Boatyard's potential to support the offshore wind sector while preserving the historical foundations and creating benefits for the local community.

Denis has more than 30 years of international experience in a variety of senior and executive roles on numerous large, high-profile projects, including engineering and construction contracting in Europe, the Middle East and Australia. This experience includes 20 years in the energy sector, including oil and gas, power and petrochemicals industries, as well as commercial, utilities and infrastructure industries.

He has held leadership positions within various business units covering project and site management, commercial, planning, estimating and proposals, mainly within the Kentz Group. While at Kentz, Denis was recognised with the Kentz CEO Award in 2011 and 2013 for his outstanding contribution to the company. He has also held Senior Executive positions in SNC Lavalin and Actavo.

Denis said he hopes to bring his international expertise to support the transition to offshore wind energy and the historic Crosshaven Boatyard.

Denis said: “I am very excited having returned home to Cork to progress my career in the renewable energy sector. I have more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector, and I feel I can bring this international experience back home. I am very excited to be based in the historic Crosshaven Boatyard and to be joining the Green Rebel team, which is an exciting green company in the emerging offshore wind sector in Ireland and also a major local employer.” 

Crosshaven Boatyard was established in 1961 and originally specialised in building commercial fishing boats over the years has developed to build famous yachts like Gypsy Moth V, Saint Brendan and a series of Moondusters up to the early 1980s.

Published in Crosshaven Boatyard
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Green Rebel Marine will undertake a geophysical survey campaign for an offshore wind farm in the North Celtic Sea from next Tuesday 29 March to the end of May, weather permitting.

The survey will be conducted on a 24-hour basis by the Roman Rebel (callsign 2ICA5), which will display appropriate lights and signals.

The survey will utilise multibeam echo sounders, sub-bottom profilers, side-scan sonars, magnetometers and ultra-high-resolution survey equipment, both hull-mounted and towed.

Typically, the towed cable lengths will be about four times the water depth while acquiring survey data.

Mariners are advised to keep continuous watch on VHF Channel 16 when navigating the areas of operation, coordinates of which are detailed in Marine Notice No 16 of 2022 attached below.

All vessels operating in the vicinity of these operations are requested to keep their distance and pass at minimum speed to reduce vessel wash.

Published in Power From the Sea

Green Rebel has announced plans to create 50 jobs over the next 12 months. 

Green Rebel is an Irish owned business established to service the current and future needs of offshore wind farms. The new positions will include survey vessel crew, technicians and engineers, data scientists and surveyors, ecologists, aircraft mission specialists, project managers, office administrators, AI specialists, software developers and sales and marketing roles. The jobs will be spread across Green Rebel’s Crosshaven, Cork Airport and Limerick offices.

The company currently employs 75 staff and that number will grow to 125 by the middle of 2022. Taoiseach Micheal Martin joined Green Rebel to announce the jobs.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said: “I am delighted to join Green Rebel to announce the creation of 50 jobs over the next 12 months. Having seen the technology, met many of the team, and seen some of the Green Rebel data from what is normally our hidden marine environment, I am excited that this team are having such success and innovative plans are in place to drive our supply chain forward and help Ireland become a world leader in the development of offshore wind.”

CEO of Green Rebel, John Wallace said: “We are very excited about our plans to grow and develop Green Rebel over the coming year. The waters around Ireland and further afield are set to become a major source of renewable energy generation and this is an absolutely essential element of effort to combat climate change. The quality survey work being undertaken by Green Rebel right now is designed to both protect the environment and allow wind farm developers to harness its potential. The company operates a growing fleet of state-of-the-art survey aircraft and survey vessels that capture enormous datasets that are processed by a world class team of data scientists across all disciplines. The need for revolution has never been greater and at Green Rebel we are passionate about being a dynamic contributor to help achieve a more sustainable future for all. We are building on a team with great experience and we are looking for people that share this passion.”

Founder of Green Rebel, Pearse Flynn said: “Ireland is on the cusp of a green revolution. With an abundance of offshore wind and water available to us, we can produce real fuel alternatives to help deliver Ireland’s energy transition. Wind generated offshore will pay a significant role in providing energy security and helping Ireland become a net exporter of green, renewable energy. Wind generation will bring ashore electricity that can be used either directly into the grid, or feed exciting new green energy solutions provided by our sister company EI-H2, who are looking to produce green hydrogen at sites in County Cork and beyond.”

Green Rebel is headquartered in Crosshaven, Cork and plays a key role in the development of the offshore wind sector. Using their fleet of ships, aircraft and innovative technology, the growing, diverse, and energetic team specialise in the collection, processing, and analysis of marine and metocean data. The company and its team helps accelerate green energy developments in the most sustainable and ecologically responsible manner possible.

Plans for offshore wind farms are at an advanced stage with a number of potential fixed and floating operators examining sites along the Irish coastline. Green Rebel is engaging with all developers to provide world-class data acquisition and processing capabilities on their doorstep.

Published in Power From the Sea

Green Rebel Marine in Crosshaven intends to conduct geophysical survey operations off the South Coast between Cork and Waterford cities over an extended period of time, up to a year from this Thursday 3 June.

The survey will be conducted by two vessels: the semi-SWATH catamaran Roman Rebel (callsign 2ICA5) which will conduct 24-hr operations, and the Lady Kathleen (callsign EIXT2), a catamaran which will conduct 12-hr operations. Both vessels will display appropriate lights and signals.

The geophysical survey will use a multibeam echosounder and sub-bottom profilers, which will be hull-mounted, as well as side-scan sonars and magnetometers that will be towed using dedicated winches at cable lengths dictated by the water depth (typically four times the water depth while acquiring data).

Full details of coordinates of the survey areas are included in Marine Notice No 33 of 2021, a PDF of which can be downloaded below.

Published in Coastal Notes

Green Rebel Marine in Crosshaven is set to undertake a geophysical survey operation in the Celtic Sea from next week.

The survey from next Wednesday 26 May to 23 June, weather permitting, will be conducted by the Roman Rebel (callsign 2ICA5) using hull-mounted multibeam and sub-bottom profiling systems.

In addition, the vessel will be towing side-scan sonars and magnetometers using dedicated winches at cable lengths dictated by the water depth. Typically, the cable lengths will be about four times the water depth while acquiring data.

The Roman Rebel will display appropriate lights and signals and all survey operations will be conducted 24 hours a day, continuous over day and night.

Full details of coordinates of the survey areas are included in Marine Notice No 32 of 2021, which can be downloaded below.

Published in Coastal Notes

The first digital aerial ecology surveys of Irish coastal waters to be undertaken by a domestic company are about to begin following the arrival of a new special mission aircraft owned by Green Rebel Group into Cork Airport. The company is leading efforts to establish Cork Harbour as a Green Energy Hub, beginning with a new partnership between Green Rebel Group, Cork Airport, the Atlantic Flight Training Academy (AFTA) and Weston Aviation.

Green Rebel Group acquired the aircraft to undertake ecological assessments as part of the planning process for marine renewable energy projects, including offshore wind farms. The new €1.5 million twin-engine Diamond Air DA42 aircraft will be used to survey thousands of square miles of ocean. The DA-42 is the most environmentally-friendly aircraft of its class on the market, in keeping with Green Rebel Group’s mission to reduce the dependence on energy from fossil fuels. The aircraft - with tail registration EI-GRM - will be permanently based at Cork Airport.

With the purchase of this aircraft, Green Rebel Group will be the only domestic Irish company offering digital aerial surveys for ecological assessments associated with marine renewable energy projects. Green Rebel has partnered with AFTA, which will be the specialist operator (SPO) for the aircraft. The aircraft will be based at the Weston Aviation hangar at Cork Airport. Its arrival has resulted in the creation of 15 direct jobs, and there are plans for further job creation over the coming years, which will ensure Cork is one of the leading players in the green energy sector.

Each aerial survey flight will generate terabytes of high-quality imagery. In order to store, process, and backup this data, Green Rebel Group has also built a world-class marine data centre. The high-spec server and supporting IT infrastructure are housed in a secure location at the Cork Airport Business Park. The data will be used to map the abundance of marine wildlife, which is critical to ensure wind farms are built in the most suitable locations.

Sarah Kandrot, Head of Aerial Surveys with Green Rebel Group said: “This aircraft will help us to compile information that will ensure offshore wind farms are built in the best locations to protect the ecology of the ocean. We are delighted that our aircraft has arrived in Cork, which means we can now begin conducting these important surveys. With this aircraft, large sections of the ocean can be surveyed over a shorter period of time than can be achieved with traditional boat-based surveys. Thanks to the ultra high-spec of our camera equipment, our aircraft will be flying at heights that will not cause any disturbance to birds or marine megafauna while at the same time allowing us to collect the highest-quality digital imagery.”

Mick Horgan, CEO of Green Rebel Group said: “I am hugely proud of the Green Rebel team and what they have achieved. We have put together an amazing team of data acquisition specialists and data scientists who are all experts in their respective fields. I have every faith that our aerial survey division will be second to none.”

Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Green Rebel Group to Cork Airport. Covid-19 has provided us with opportunities to diversify our business into new areas supporting cargo, offshore gas and wind operations. As a key economic enabler for the region, Cork Airport will play a big role in the economic recovery ahead. The addition of the Green Rebel Group aircraft based here at Cork Airport will help create new job opportunities particularly in the green energy sector. The Green Rebel Marine Diamond Aviation 42 aircraft will be based at the Weston Aviation Hangar at Cork Airport and we wish them every success in this exciting new offshore wind venture.”

Mark Casey, CEO of AFTA said: “AFTA are delighted to have been chosen as the SPO operator for the specialist air survey delivery for Green Rebel Marine. It is fantastic to see local investment by GRM in aviation and marine infrastructure creating high quality local jobs for the Munster region. The Special Mission DA42 NG is an environmentally friendly low impact survey and reconnaissance and survey platform. The aircraft is powered by the AE300 aero diesel power plant and can run on 100% Algae based Biofuel. AFTA are proud to be a part of Green Rebel's mission to reduce the dependence on energy from fossil fuels and move towards a sustainable offshore wind energy solution.”

CEO of Weston Aviation, Nick Weston said: “We are delighted to be working closely with the Green Rebel Team in this exciting new venture adding to the rapidly developing offshore operations that both Weston Aviation and Cork Airport can offer in the region. Our ideally located FBO and hangar at the airport is a perfect base for aircraft and passenger processing for these highly complex missions.”

Published in Power From the Sea
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The Irish Coast Guard

The Irish Coast Guard is Ireland's fourth 'Blue Light' service (along with An Garda Síochána, the Ambulance Service and the Fire Service). It provides a nationwide maritime emergency organisation as well as a variety of services to shipping and other government agencies.

The purpose of the Irish Coast Guard is to promote safety and security standards, and by doing so, prevent as far as possible, the loss of life at sea, and on inland waters, mountains and caves, and to provide effective emergency response services and to safeguard the quality of the marine environment.

The Irish Coast Guard has responsibility for Ireland's system of marine communications, surveillance and emergency management in Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and certain inland waterways.

It is responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue and counter-pollution and ship casualty operations. It also has responsibility for vessel traffic monitoring.

Operations in respect of maritime security, illegal drug trafficking, illegal migration and fisheries enforcement are co-ordinated by other bodies within the Irish Government.

On average, each year, the Irish Coast Guard is expected to:

  • handle 3,000 marine emergencies
  • assist 4,500 people and save about 200 lives
  • task Coast Guard helicopters on missions

The Coast Guard has been around in some form in Ireland since 1908.

Coast Guard helicopters

The Irish Coast Guard has contracted five medium-lift Sikorsky Search and Rescue helicopters deployed at bases in Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo.

The helicopters are designated wheels up from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours and 45 minutes at night. One aircraft is fitted and its crew trained for under slung cargo operations up to 3000kgs and is available on short notice based at Waterford.

These aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains of Ireland (32 counties).

They can also be used for assistance in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and aerial surveillance during daylight hours, lifting and passenger operations and other operations as authorised by the Coast Guard within appropriate regulations.

Irish Coastguard FAQs

The Irish Coast Guard provides nationwide maritime emergency response, while also promoting safety and security standards. It aims to prevent the loss of life at sea, on inland waters, on mountains and in caves; and to safeguard the quality of the marine environment.

The main role of the Irish Coast Guard is to rescue people from danger at sea or on land, to organise immediate medical transport and to assist boats and ships within the country's jurisdiction. It has three marine rescue centres in Dublin, Malin Head, Co Donegal, and Valentia Island, Co Kerry. The Dublin National Maritime Operations centre provides marine search and rescue responses and coordinates the response to marine casualty incidents with the Irish exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Yes, effectively, it is the fourth "blue light" service. The Marine Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) Valentia is the contact point for the coastal area between Ballycotton, Co Cork and Clifden, Co Galway. At the same time, the MRSC Malin Head covers the area between Clifden and Lough Foyle. Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Dublin covers Carlingford Lough, Co Louth to Ballycotton, Co Cork. Each MRCC/MRSC also broadcasts maritime safety information on VHF and MF radio, including navigational and gale warnings, shipping forecasts, local inshore forecasts, strong wind warnings and small craft warnings.

The Irish Coast Guard handles about 3,000 marine emergencies annually, and assists 4,500 people - saving an estimated 200 lives, according to the Department of Transport. In 2016, Irish Coast Guard helicopters completed 1,000 missions in a single year for the first time.

Yes, Irish Coast Guard helicopters evacuate medical patients from offshore islands to hospital on average about 100 times a year. In September 2017, the Department of Health announced that search and rescue pilots who work 24-hour duties would not be expected to perform any inter-hospital patient transfers. The Air Corps flies the Emergency Aeromedical Service, established in 2012 and using an AW139 twin-engine helicopter. Known by its call sign "Air Corps 112", it airlifted its 3,000th patient in autumn 2020.

The Irish Coast Guard works closely with the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which is responsible for the Northern Irish coast.

The Irish Coast Guard is a State-funded service, with both paid management personnel and volunteers, and is under the auspices of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. It is allocated approximately 74 million euro annually in funding, some 85 per cent of which pays for a helicopter contract that costs 60 million euro annually. The overall funding figure is "variable", an Oireachtas committee was told in 2019. Other significant expenditure items include volunteer training exercises, equipment, maintenance, renewal, and information technology.

The Irish Coast Guard has four search and rescue helicopter bases at Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo, run on a contract worth 50 million euro annually with an additional 10 million euro in costs by CHC Ireland. It provides five medium-lift Sikorsky S-92 helicopters and trained crew. The 44 Irish Coast Guard coastal units with 1,000 volunteers are classed as onshore search units, with 23 of the 44 units having rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) and 17 units having cliff rescue capability. The Irish Coast Guard has 60 buildings in total around the coast, and units have search vehicles fitted with blue lights, all-terrain vehicles or quads, first aid equipment, generators and area lighting, search equipment, marine radios, pyrotechnics and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Community Rescue Boats Ireland also provide lifeboats and crews to assist in search and rescue. The Irish Coast Guard works closely with the Garda Siochána, National Ambulance Service, Naval Service and Air Corps, Civil Defence, while fishing vessels, ships and other craft at sea offer assistance in search operations.

The helicopters are designated as airborne from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours, and 45 minutes at night. The aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, on inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains and cover the 32 counties. They can also assist in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and can transport offshore firefighters and ambulance teams. The Irish Coast Guard volunteers units are expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time of departing from the station house in ten minutes from notification during daylight and 20 minutes at night. They are also expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time to the scene of the incident in less than 60 minutes from notification by day and 75 minutes at night, subject to geographical limitations.

Units are managed by an officer-in-charge (three stripes on the uniform) and a deputy officer in charge (two stripes). Each team is trained in search skills, first aid, setting up helicopter landing sites and a range of maritime skills, while certain units are also trained in cliff rescue.

Volunteers receive an allowance for time spent on exercises and call-outs. What is the difference between the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI? The RNLI is a registered charity which has been saving lives at sea since 1824, and runs a 24/7 volunteer lifeboat service around the British and Irish coasts. It is a declared asset of the British Maritime and Coast Guard Agency and the Irish Coast Guard. Community Rescue Boats Ireland is a community rescue network of volunteers under the auspices of Water Safety Ireland.

No, it does not charge for rescue and nor do the RNLI or Community Rescue Boats Ireland.

The marine rescue centres maintain 19 VHF voice and DSC radio sites around the Irish coastline and a digital paging system. There are two VHF repeater test sites, four MF radio sites and two NAVTEX transmitter sites. Does Ireland have a national search and rescue plan? The first national search and rescue plan was published in July, 2019. It establishes the national framework for the overall development, deployment and improvement of search and rescue services within the Irish Search and Rescue Region and to meet domestic and international commitments. The purpose of the national search and rescue plan is to promote a planned and nationally coordinated search and rescue response to persons in distress at sea, in the air or on land.

Yes, the Irish Coast Guard is responsible for responding to spills of oil and other hazardous substances with the Irish pollution responsibility zone, along with providing an effective response to marine casualties and monitoring or intervening in marine salvage operations. It provides and maintains a 24-hour marine pollution notification at the three marine rescue centres. It coordinates exercises and tests of national and local pollution response plans.

The first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to die on duty was Caitriona Lucas, a highly trained member of the Doolin Coast Guard unit, while assisting in a search for a missing man by the Kilkee unit in September 2016. Six months later, four Irish Coast Guard helicopter crew – Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith -died when their Sikorsky S-92 struck Blackrock island off the Mayo coast on March 14, 2017. The Dublin-based Rescue 116 crew were providing "top cover" or communications for a medical emergency off the west coast and had been approaching Blacksod to refuel. Up until the five fatalities, the Irish Coast Guard recorded that more than a million "man hours" had been spent on more than 30,000 rescue missions since 1991.

Several investigations were initiated into each incident. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board was critical of the Irish Coast Guard in its final report into the death of Caitriona Lucas, while a separate Health and Safety Authority investigation has been completed, but not published. The Air Accident Investigation Unit final report into the Rescue 116 helicopter crash has not yet been published.

The Irish Coast Guard in its present form dates back to 1991, when the Irish Marine Emergency Service was formed after a campaign initiated by Dr Joan McGinley to improve air/sea rescue services on the west Irish coast. Before Irish independence, the British Admiralty was responsible for a Coast Guard (formerly the Water Guard or Preventative Boat Service) dating back to 1809. The West Coast Search and Rescue Action Committee was initiated with a public meeting in Killybegs, Co Donegal, in 1988 and the group was so effective that a Government report was commissioned, which recommended setting up a new division of the Department of the Marine to run the Marine Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (MRCC), then based at Shannon, along with the existing coast radio service, and coast and cliff rescue. A medium-range helicopter base was established at Shannon within two years. Initially, the base was served by the Air Corps.

The first director of what was then IMES was Capt Liam Kirwan, who had spent 20 years at sea and latterly worked with the Marine Survey Office. Capt Kirwan transformed a poorly funded voluntary coast and cliff rescue service into a trained network of cliff and sea rescue units – largely voluntary, but with paid management. The MRCC was relocated from Shannon to an IMES headquarters at the then Department of the Marine (now Department of Transport) in Leeson Lane, Dublin. The coast radio stations at Valentia, Co Kerry, and Malin Head, Co Donegal, became marine rescue-sub-centres.

The current director is Chris Reynolds, who has been in place since August 2007 and was formerly with the Naval Service. He has been seconded to the head of mission with the EUCAP Somalia - which has a mandate to enhance Somalia's maritime civilian law enforcement capacity – since January 2019.

  • Achill, Co. Mayo
  • Ardmore, Co. Waterford
  • Arklow, Co. Wicklow
  • Ballybunion, Co. Kerry
  • Ballycotton, Co. Cork
  • Ballyglass, Co. Mayo
  • Bonmahon, Co. Waterford
  • Bunbeg, Co. Donegal
  • Carnsore, Co. Wexford
  • Castlefreake, Co. Cork
  • Castletownbere, Co. Cork
  • Cleggan, Co. Galway
  • Clogherhead, Co. Louth
  • Costelloe Bay, Co. Galway
  • Courtown, Co. Wexford
  • Crosshaven, Co. Cork
  • Curracloe, Co. Wexford
  • Dingle, Co. Kerry
  • Doolin, Co. Clare
  • Drogheda, Co. Louth
  • Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
  • Dunmore East, Co. Waterford
  • Fethard, Co. Wexford
  • Glandore, Co. Cork
  • Glenderry, Co. Kerry
  • Goleen, Co. Cork
  • Greencastle, Co. Donegal
  • Greenore, Co. Louth
  • Greystones, Co. Wicklow
  • Guileen, Co. Cork
  • Howth, Co. Dublin
  • Kilkee, Co. Clare
  • Killala, Co. Mayo
  • Killybegs, Co. Donegal
  • Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford
  • Knightstown, Co. Kerry
  • Mulroy, Co. Donegal
  • North Aran, Co. Galway
  • Old Head Of Kinsale, Co. Cork
  • Oysterhaven, Co. Cork
  • Rosslare, Co. Wexford
  • Seven Heads, Co. Cork
  • Skerries, Co. Dublin Summercove, Co. Cork
  • Toe Head, Co. Cork
  • Tory Island, Co. Donegal
  • Tramore, Co. Waterford
  • Waterville, Co. Kerry
  • Westport, Co. Mayo
  • Wicklow
  • Youghal, Co. Cork

Sources: Department of Transport © Afloat 2020