Ireland’s marine sector has growth potential, says expert

Ocean wealth summit to hear Ireland’s marine sector has growth potential in long term

Ireland’s marine sector has enormous potential for growth according to Dr Peter Heffernan, chief executive of the Marine Institute.

Speaking in the run up to the “our ocean wealth summit”, the largest gathering of Ireland’s marine and business communities, Dr Heffernan said that “our ambition is to be at the forefront globally as a leader in both traditional and emerging marine activities”.

The summit, which is sponsored by PwC, takes place in the National University of Ireland, Galway, on June 30th and is expected to look at approaches on how Ireland can continue to transform its marine industry.

Our seas are a vital national asset and very important to Ireland’s future economic success,” said Declan McDonald of PwC.

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Speaking on the challenges for the blue economy – the term often used to describe marine-based economic development – Mr McDonald added that Brexit may have short-term impacts on our ports and fisheries while longer-term challenges include the protection of our sensitive marine environment.

Peter Hamilton

Peter Hamilton

Peter Hamilton is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in business