New Craft Registration System for Waterways Ireland

At the launch of the new Craft Registration Management System, from left; Ian Cameron, Waterways Ireland; Derek Kehoe, iB Solutions; Charles Lawn, Waterways Ireland; Brian Cleland, Waterways Ireland; Brian D'Arcy, Waterways Ireland; and Damien Marron, iB Solutions. Photograph taken in front of the new Waterways Ireland Headquarters building in Enniskillen, due to be completed next month.

Waterways Ireland is the North/South Implementation Body responsible for the management, maintenance, development and restoration of the inland navigable waterway systems throughout the island, principally for recreational purposes. The waterways under the remit of Waterways Ireland are the Lower Bann Navigation, the Erne System, the Shannon-Erne Waterway, the Shannon Navigation, the Barrow Navigation, the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal.

The Waterways Ireland Inspectorate is responsible for ensuring that the Bye-Laws on the waterways are adhered to and this includes the registration of craft.

In the past the registration was a manual procedure which was paper based and carried out by staff in the office. This summer a new registration system called CRMS (Craft Registration Management System) was launched which will allow the staff of the Waterways Ireland Inspectorate to register new entries while on patrol (on land and water) and will also facilitate improved management of the existing register.

The project, which was awarded to iB Solutions, commenced in February last year and is part of an overall upgrading of the registration system which will also facilitate online registration by owners over the Internet. This service is due to be available in September 2008.

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Further information from:
Ms. Aoife Morrissy, Marketing and Communications, Waterways Ireland, 00 353 71 9650787 or 00 353 87 9918412.

PR08009
Date: 18.08.2008