60米长的MV Shingle，一艘前走私船，在爱尔兰梅奥郡海岸沉没，形成了该国第一个人工礁。

该船于2014年被官员扣押，船上载有3200万支非法香烟和超过4吨烟草，目前位于基拉拉湾水面以下29米处。

沉船发生在2024年9月18日下午，可能会给当地旅游业和海洋生物多样性带来好处。

该项目是Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef (KBS2R)、税收专员、梅奥和斯莱戈的地方议会合作的一部分，旨在将MV Shingle改造成水下绿洲。

这艘船现在是一艘潜水沉船，预计将吸引潜水员和海洋研究人员前往爱尔兰西海岸，同时有益于周围的生态系统。

这艘船从一艘走私船到一个人工暗礁的航程很长。2014年，作为欧洲安全行动的一部分，武装警察和海关官员在德罗海达港将其扣押。

这艘船从摩尔多瓦出发，途经斯洛文尼亚和葡萄牙，由于石棉污染，被遗弃在都柏林港近十年。当局既找不到买家，也负担不起拆除它的高昂成本。

税务局官员在支付了大约200万欧元的停泊和维护费用后，将这艘船捐赠给了该项目。

KBS2R成功地提议将其用作海洋珊瑚礁，称这将增强该地区的生物多样性并促进旅游业。

下沉过程是渐进的，从下午3点左右开始，当时阀门被打开，海水进入了船体。近两个小时后，这艘船开始慢慢向右舷倾斜，然后沉入水面下，留下了平静的水面。

负责该项目的当地官员对人工珊瑚礁的长期效益充满信心。他们估计，由于潜水和捕鱼旅游的增加以及未来的研究机会，该项目投入的资金将在三年内收回。

然而，并非所有各方都完全支持这一倡议。环保组织对其对当地生态系统的影响表示担忧。但当地政府希望，这艘船的最后安息地将把该地区变成一个繁忙的海洋生物中心。

多年来为清除船上的锈迹并赋予其新的用途所做的努力随着MV Shingle的沉没而结束。

▲图源：网络，侵权必删

英文原文

The 60-meter MV Shingle, a former smuggling vessel, has been sunken off the coast of County Mayo, Ireland, forming the country’s first artificial reef.



The ship, which was seized by officials in 2014 with 32 million illegal cigarettes and over four tonnes of tobacco on board, is now 29 meters below the su***ce in Killala Bay.



The sinking occurred in the afternoon on September 18, 2024, and will likely benefit local tourism and marine biodiversity.



The initiative was part of a collaboration between Killala Bay Ships 2 Reef (KBS2R), the Revenue Commissioners, and local councils in Mayo and Sligo to transform the MV Shingle into an underwater oasis.



The vessel, now a diving wreck, is expected to attract divers and marine researchers to Ireland’s west coast while benefiting the surrounding ecosystem.



The ship’s journey from a smuggling vessel to an artificial reef was long.  In 2014, armed police and customs officers seized it in the port of Drogheda as part of a European security operation.



The ship, which had sailed from Moldova via Slovenia and Portugal, had been abandoned at Dublin port for nearly a decade due to its asbestos-tainted condition.  Authorities could not find a buyer or afford the high costs of scrapping it.



Revenue officials donated the ship to the project after paying around €2 million for berthing and maintenance fees.



KBS2R successfully proposed using it as a marine reef, stating that it would enhance biodiversity and increase tourism in the area.



The sinking was gradual, beginning around 3 p.m. when valves were opened to let seawater into the vessel.  After nearly two hours, the ship slowly started listing to its starboard side before sinking beneath the su***ce, leaving calm waters behind.



Local officials who led the project are confident about the artificial reef’s long-term benefits.  They estimated that the money invested in the project would be recouped within three years due to increased diving and fishing tourism and future research opportunities.



However, not all parties fully support the initiative.  Environmental organizations have raised concerns about its impact on local ecosystems.  But local authorities hope that the ship’s final resting place will transform the area into a bustling hub for marine life.



Years of effort to remove the rust from the vessel and give it a new purpose ended with the sinking of the MV Shingle.

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