Belfast Harbour Marina achieves Blue Flag status

Belfast Harbour Marina has been awarded Blue Flag status for the first time in its history, after being revealed as one of a number of local winners of the prestigious accolade. Located at the heart of the Maritime Mile, close to the SSE Arena and Titanic Belfast, the Marina was one of seven across Northern Ireland which have earned the coveted distinction after meeting world-class standards in areas such as safety, accessibility, cleanliness, and environmental education.

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, who manage the accreditations locally, announced that a total of nine beaches and seven marinas earned the prestigious Blue Flag Award distinction after meeting world-class standards in a range of criteria.

Simon Gibson, Marine, Environment & Biodiversity Officer with Belfast Harbour, said: “Belfast Harbour is very proud and pleased to receive a Blue Flag Award for its Marina. For an organisation which is fully committed to being a green and sustainable port, receiving such an award is a significant achievement. This recognises the effort which has gone in to meeting the stringent criteria which rightly makes Blue Flag such a trustworthy and prestigious international standard for environmental improvement and education.”

Dr Ian Humphreys, CEO of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful said:  “We are incredibly pleased to see so many local beaches and marinas have been successful at this year’s awards. Each flag shows the public that these are sites worth visiting and cherishing. I want to thank the many workers across winning sites who helped make this happen. Their work is critically important in making Northern Ireland a place with the best European beaches and marinas.”

The Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir said: “I am delighted that once again so many of Northern Ireland’s beaches have received the coveted Blue Flag and Seaside Awards, and that our first-class marinas have also been recognised. The awards let our citizens and people around the world know that Northern Ireland is open for business and that our beaches and marinas are clean, well-managed and safe to enjoy.”

Representatives from Belfast Harbour were invited to collect the award at a presentation ceremony at the Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle, organised by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful.

The awards ceremony was sponsored by the Slieve Donard Hotel, and supported by DAERA.