Twenty months after the Hebble Sand dredger sank in Drogheda Port, and after several invitations to send a representative to discuss the issue with local councillors, the Port Company are to be requested to send a representative to attend a meeting of the full Louth County Council.
At the September 2022 meeting of the Borough District, Drogheda councillors were told that Drogheda Port Company had failed to respond to requests for information about their plans for the Hebble Sand which has been moored at Drogheda Port for over a decade.
Councillor Kevin Callan had asked officials if they had received any update from the Port Company and was told that the Council had written to the Port Company in May but there had as yet been no response. Just two days later the rusting dredger sank leaking oil into the river Boyne.
Today, some 20 months later, Councillor Callan has formally requested that Louth County Council invite Drogheda Port Company to attend a full meeting of the council to get a report on matters relating to the Port, primarily the Hebble Sand.
Cllr Callan said today that he felt it was extremely important for the Port to answer questions from the elected members and that it was not acceptable that a Port representative could not be made available to attend a meeting of the elected members on Drogheda Borough.
“The Hebble Sand sank in the River Boyne in September, 2022, it is still sitting in the river and needs to be moved” Callan told Drogheda Life today.
“As Drogheda Port has not taken up our invitation in Drogheda, the matter in my view should now come before the full council to hear from the Chair of the Board of the Port Company and CEO on why the vessel is still in situ.
“We should also have an opportunity to ask why the invitation has not been taken up to date to attend with the Drogheda Councillors”.
Callan’s proposal was seconded by Cllr Joanna Byrne and was supported by the councillors present.
