MV Shingle sinking: Ship with infamous past to become exploration ‘magnet’ for scuba divers

A ship with an infamous past sank gently to the bottom of Killala Bay on Wednesday into a more honourable future as Ireland’s first artificial reef which will hopefully become an exploration magnet for scuba divers from all over the world.
After its valves were opened, it took about 1½ hours for the rusting hulk of the MV Shingle — seized 10 years ago by the Revenue Commissioners in a €14 million cigarette/tobacco trafficking bust — to reach the seabed 29m below.
Bursts of applause and cheers from onlookers in an armada of boats full of sightseers marked the moment shortly after 4pm when the steel bridge of the rusting hulk keeled sideways before disappearing in a maelstrom of frothing water.
As if in farewell, geysers of water erupted from various points on the doomed vessel.
Watching from a nearby boat was Michael Loftus, a diver with the local Gráinne Úaile Sub Aqua Club who first mooted the idea of an artificial reef many years ago as a means of boosting tourism numbers and supporting marine biodiversity.
“Yes, getting to this stage has been a long, hard road,” he said. “There were a lot of thorny issues to be dealt with over the years, a lot of bureaucracy. But thanks to the Revenue Commissioners, Mayo County Council, Sligo County Council and my own committee [Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef] we have got to this stage.”
Mr Loftus, an elected member of Mayo County Council, explained that it has cost €2 million to bring the project to fruition but he believes the money and effort expended will bring significant dividends.
“We have seen artificial reefs elsewhere in the world but there are none in Ireland. We do have wrecks off Northern Ireland but they lie too deep and are only for experienced divers. Our reef will be only 30m down, well within the range of the less experienced as well as accomplished divers.”
Since its seizure in 2014, while heading from Slovenia towards Drogheda with 32 million cigarettes and a quantity of tobacco aboard, the MV Shingle has been gobbling up large amounts of money on berthing fees, remedial works and maintenance.
It was berthed first in Dublin Port and latterly in New Ross, Co Wexford, Patrick Heneghan, former assistant principal with the Revenue Commissioners, who attended today’s sinking ceremony, explained.
“I had the task of trying to dispose of the Shingle after Revenue seized it”, said Mr Heneghan, now retired.
“The options were very limited because of the condition of the ship. There was no scrap value or retail value. Through a contact in Cork, Dominic Daly, I flagged this as a potential project to Michael Loftus who was looking for a ship to sink and create an artificial reef.
“It was beneficial to Revenue to get rid of the ship as there was high maintenance involved in keeping it berthed and in a safe condition.
“We have had a positive outcome and hopefully the Shingle will repay the country in the coming years by bringing in valuable tourism revenue.”
Hundreds gathered in bright sunshine in Killala Bay this afternoon for an event much talked about locally as “the sinking”.
All manner of vessels — ribs, half-deckers, speedboats, kayaks — congregated on the location chosen for the scuttling operation, about 4km from Enniscrone Harbour.
Afterwards, Loftus reckoned that colonisation of the wreck by different fish species would begin immediately.
“It’s going to be a magnet for fish life and a magnet for divers,” he predicted.