Act as trusted experts working in co-operation with our national, GLA, and international partners, to align the development of safe navigation services to evolving policy, regulatory and industry needs, using innovative technology and promoting the shared and safe use of the maritime domain.

Focus Area 2 of the strategy is concerned with how Irish Lights engages with people and organisations outside of Irish Lights. These relationships range from individual users of our AtoN services, industry and representative groups, Local Lighthouse Authorities, Government Departments and Agencies, key partners in the UK and international organisations.

Navigation takes place in a shared sea space and responsibility for Marine Spatial Planning and different aspects of safe navigation is shared across a number of Government Departments and Agencies.

A coordinated approach with the Department of Transport (DoT), Department of Climate, Environment and Energy (DCEE), Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine (DAFFM) and associated agencies is essential to optimise delivery of the services involved.

As Irish Lights has responsibility for AtoN in Ireland and Northern Ireland, the Ireland - UK relationship is particularly important and valued. Inter GLA working provides significant benefits including co-ordinated fleet management, helicopter operations and out of hours monitoring continues to ensure that risk response to wreck and new dangers and critical AtoN outages are managed effectively on a 24/7/365 basis around the island of Ireland.

Our shared research and development team GRAD, which is based in Harwich, is engaged in a range of research activities related to lights, resilient PNT (position, navigation and timing), cyber security, data and systems security, environmental and climate issues, all of which will have a direct bearing on the development of our services in the future.

Our recently published tri-GLA Marine Navigation Plan 2040 and our Navigating to 2040 Strategy have informed the development of this strategy. These plans take account of the key relationships that exist with the Department for Transport (DfT), Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) the UK Hydrographic and Met Office’s. The seamless nature of these collaborative working relationships with colleagues in the UK are long- standing and bring significant safety benefits to mariners.

The EU through the European Commission, Parliament, and agencies such as the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), and European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), plays a significant part in determining the requirements for safe navigation within the EU and provides important navigation services such as Galileo (a Global Navigation Satellite System) and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) (a Satellite-based Augmentation System - SBAS). Irish Lights and GRAD have worked with the EUSPA to validate the improvement in positional accuracy delivered by EGNOS using equipment deployed on the ILV Granuaile.

International organisations play a key role in standardising key components of AtoN services. The core AtoN standards are set at IALA where Ireland is represented by Irish Lights. However, the standards for other important components such as radio communications, and hydrography, are set at other international organisations. Irish Lights will support the representatives at these organisations to ensure that issues affecting AtoN are reflected and reciprocate in ensuring other issues are correctly taken into account at IALA.

Finally, working in collaboration we will continue to seek opportunities to deliver mutually beneficial and added value services as a means of optimising the value to stakeholders of Irish Lights assets.

Strategic Objectives 2025-2030

1. Engage with national and international organisations concerned with shipping and navigation safety, in particular in the delivery of IMO coastal state responsibilities for AtoN.
2. Work within the IALA IGO to represent Ireland and contribute to the development of international AtoN standardisation.
3. Play a key role via GRAD and IALA in supporting the assessment of new national and international developments, advising on, developing and/or adopting appropriate standards and technologies.
4. Collaborate with Trinity House and Northern Lighthouse Board at strategic and operational levels to deliver safe navigation, value and efficiencies for key stakeholders.
5. Work with Government Departments and State Agencies that have a lead role on maritime issues and participate in relevant working groups and fora to ensure alignment with Government Policy where there are overlapping interests.
6. Collaborate with other agencies to:

• Promote and facilitate improved maritime incident response capability.
• Share and leverage coastal and afloat resources and develop added value services where mutually beneficial.
• Roll out of the National Flood Forecasting System.