The new Coast Guard and Maritime Safety Agency is to be established in Drogheda, Co Louth, under the Government's decentralisation programme.
The relocation was announced yesterday by the Minister for the Marine, Mr Ahern, who is also TD for the Louth constituency. The agency will comprise the existing Irish Coast Guard and the Maritime Safety Directorate, which was established as an independent agency to handle a range of responsibilities, including marine surveying, aids to navigation and the safety of leisure craft, jet-skis and adventure centres.
It is understood Arklow, Wicklow and Cork had been considered for the agency under the decentralisation programme.
The Minister said yesterday that a report from his officials had opted for Drogheda "because of its proximity to Dublin and other ports where 95 per cent of maritime passenger traffic and half of all cargo emanates."
For operational reasons, the headquarters had to be on the east coast, he added.
The move will affect about 30 staff and the trade union Impact said anyone could apply for equivalent posts if they did not wish to move.
Irish Coast Guard staff have already expressed resistance to the Minister's earlier decision to rationalise the Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) network - by closing Dublin and maintaining Valentia, Co Kerry, and Malin, Co Donegal.
The merger of the Irish Coast Guard and the Maritime Safety Directorate was also advised against in a Deloitte and Touche consultancy study carried out for the Government.
The Minister said the new agency would be "stand alone" and independent of his Department, and would play a key role in the operational functions of the Coast Guard and the work of the State shipping surveyors.
The new headquarters will include senior management, corporate support, administration operations co-ordination and pollution response.
In a separate development, Irish Water Safety says Ireland ranks seventh in the top 10 countries where accidental drownings occur. Ireland is to host an international conference on life-saving in Waterford from June 11th as part of the EU presidency programme.
Some 20 national life-saving organisations from 18 European states are expected to attend and the event will be hosted by Irish Water Safety.