Diageo, the world’s largest distiller, is gearing up for the launch of its €153 million new brewery in St James's Gate with the delivery of 10 giant brewing vessels in Dún Laoghaire harbour. The new plant will start producing beer in June 2013.

The enormous brewing vessels, which are up to 85ft in length and up to 28 tonnes each in weight, will be capable of holding up to almost one million pints at a single time.

According to project leader Paul Armstrong, the vessels will be responsible for brewing 40,000,000 pints of stout and beer each week, most of which will be exported to markets across the world.

“The arrival of these vessels symbolises that the long term future of brewing in the heart of Dublin is secure for the next generation,” he said, adding that the arrival of the vessels “symbolises that the long term future of brewing in the heart of Dublin is secure for the next generation.

“The new brewery will be the first-of-its-kind on the island of Ireland and will use state of the art plant and processes to minimise energy consumption and greatly reduce environmental impact. It will save an Olympic swimming pool of water every 30 hours and will save enough energy each year to power 1,200 Irish households,” he said.

The brewing vessels will be unloaded by crane at the pier in Dún Laoghaire harbour and will remain there until they are transported in convoy towards St. James's Gate in the early hours of  February 27th when traffic is lightest.

It is the first of three such deliveries of 27 brewing vessels in total which will take place over the remainder of February and early March.