MINISTER COVENEY ANNOUNCES MORE THAN 80 JOBS IN MARINE ENERGY SECTOR

Minister for Agriculture, Food, the Marine and Defence Simon Coveney, T.D. today announced the creation of more than 80 new jobs in the marine energy sector for Cork Harbour today.

The US ocean energy company, Resolute Marine Limited, will create 80 new jobs over the next 5 years, as it establishes its European headquarters in Cork. Exceedence Ltd, a spin out from UCC’s Beaufort Research Centre, will create 5 new jobs in the marine renewable energy financial consultancy in 2015, while Resolve Marine, a global salvage company, will create up to 6 jobs in the next 12 months in its European headquarters located in Cork Harbour.

Speaking at Energy Cork – IMERC “Cork Harbour – Energising the Region” conference at the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster (IMERC) campus in Ringaskiddy, Minister Coveney, T.D. welcomed the significant job creation in the sector, stating:
“It is clear that the decision to establish a dedicated marine cluster at Cork Harbour is encouraging private sector investment and leading to the creation of a significant number of high quality jobs. I have always been convinced that the unique collaborative nature of IMERC would create the right momentum for such investment and ensure that this campus becomes a major player in the international marine sector. I wish these new companies continued success in the future.”

Energy Cork and IMERC also welcomed an announcement by Chairman of The Port of Cork, John Mullins, that a significant site in Cork Harbour is to be designated as Ireland’s first offshore oil and gas services hub, which will reinforce the positioning of Cork Harbour as a leading marine and energy capital in Europe.

Speaking at the Energy Cork – IMERC conference, Michael Quirk acknowledged the collective responsibility and collaboration of industry, energy and tourism sectors for the major positive developments taking place in Cork Harbour.

“Cork Harbour not only provides more than one third of Ireland’s energy requirements, it is also a first-class model for how society, academia and industry can work together to significantly enhance a region’s attractiveness as a location for further investment while maintaining and supporting a green agenda.  Nowhere is this more evident that the stunning harbour of Cork which provides huge employment, energy needs and nonetheless tourism and leisure amenities,” said Michael Quick, Conference Chair and Vice Chair of Energy Cork.

is a subsidiary of Boston-based Resolute Marine Energy, Inc. and is the developer of an innovative wave-powered desalination system (Wave2OTM) that is a cost-effective solution for water shortages in many developing countries and remote communities throughout the world.

Resolute Marine Limited is a subsidiary of Boston-based Resolute Marine Energy, Inc. and is the developer of an innovative wave-powered desalination system (Wave2OTM) that is a cost-effective solution for water shortages in many developing countries and remote communities throughout the world.

Resolute Marine Energy CEO Bill Staby said: “We’re confident our decision to set up our European operations in Cork is a good one.  We have positioned ourselves in the middle of a maritime innovation hub that will yield great benefits for our company over time. We expect to create 25 new high-paying technical jobs over the next 2 years in Cork and as many as 50 additional jobs in Ireland as the company’s manufacturing operations expand to meet anticipated demand. A key attraction is our ability to draw upon the many years of accumulated experience in marine renewable energy research and development present in many of the leading Irish universities and research centres through our base at IMERC.”

Exceedence CEO Dr. Ray Alcorn is a leading figure in ocean energy space, and his company will provide consultancy services on investment in marine renewable energy.

“We are delighted to join the IMERC cluster in Cork Harbour, we hope to use our expertise and experience and leverage off our location to grow our business,” said Dr Ray Alcorn, Exceedence Ltd.

Resolve Marine CEO Joe Farrell explained that he was attracted to Cork because of the talent pipeline in the marine energy cluster of Cork Harbour, in particular IMERC at the National Maritime College of Ireland and the Irish Naval Service.
Resolve Marine was recently involved in the salvaging of the Costa Concordia cruise liner off the Italian coast, as well as the MV Rena in New Zealand. The company has established its European operations centre in Cork and is working closely with marine robotics teams in IMERC and University of Limerick for Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) for salvage operations.