Galway Bay fm newsroom -The County Council says it'll review the operation of Inis Oirr pier following the publication of a damning accident investigation report.
The operation of the pier was criticised in a report into an incident at the pier last year which left two ferry passengers in the water.
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board says that despite owning the pier, Galway County Council has questionable safety or management procedures in place.
On June 6th of last year, the MV Rose of Aran was attempting to disembark passengers when the gangway separated from the pier.
Two passengers who were standing on the gangway at the time, a man and a woman, subsequently fell into the water.
The man could not swim and was rescued with a life ring, while the woman was helped by bystanders.
A report into the incident notes the stern line of the vessel had been attached to a pier bollard by a bystander, without crew supervision.
Shortly afterwards it came loose and was seen floating in the water.
The report notes that despite hundreds of passengers per day in the summer months, there are no by-laws in place, no persons employed to administer operations and no safety management plan for the harbour.
County Council CEO Kevin Kelly says visitor numbers at the pier are continuing to rise significantly, and the council is prepared to carry out a review of how the pier is managed.
