Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#Belfast - Belfast Harbour is reporting a profit of £26 million (€32 million) in 2013, a whopping 42% rise on the previous year. The Belfast Telegraph reports that a record increase in the trade of coal, stones, scrap and animal…

#GiantOilRig- Work is now nearing completion at Harland & Wolff which has been carrying out specialised emergency work on one of the world's biggest oil platforms, the Irish News has confirmed. Depending on the tides in Belfast lough, the 360-foot…

#SamsonsWorldRecord - The Belfast Telegraph reports that Harland and Wolff has broken a world record at the Belfast shipyard - by performing the world's heaviest single point WaterLoad test As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the massive Samson gantry which was…

#GiantOilRig – A giant oil rig, initially set for a whistle-stop 60-day renovation project in Belfast, will now see the Blackford Dolphin remain in the city's docks until June. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Blackford Dolphin, a 360ft high…

#ballyholmeyc – Can any other Irish club boast over 110 days of racing this year? Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough has been awarded the 2014 RYA NI Youth National championships to add to its already full calendar with the F18…

#BelfastLough - The Belfast Telegraph reports that a Russian sailor found drunk in charge of a ship in Belfast Lough has been given a 12-month conditional discharge by Belfast Magistrates Court - and will now be sacked from his post…

#GiantFPSO - Work on another oil rig completed by Harland & Wolff in 2012 had helped clinch the multi-million pound Blackford Dolphin deal, writes The Belfast Telegraph. One thousand workers helped completed the one-month project on the SeaRose FPSO "floating…

#BelfastLough - Eight hundred years of history on the shores of Belfast Lough have come to light thanks to a new archaeological dig at Carrickfergus Castle. As the Belfast Telegraph reports, the fortification dates from Anglo-Norman times and is the…

#OilRig – The Newsletter reports that the industrial behemoth that is an oil rig at Harland & Wolff, is set to remain as part of the skyline of Belfast for a number of weeks to come. As previously reported on…

#BelfastHarbour -Belfast Harbour's trade rose by 16% during 2013 with record tonnages of almost 23 million passing through the port. Over half the increase, 1.7m tonnes, was fuelled by an increase of over 150% in coal imports. This reflects a…

#BelfastLough - Some 60 acres (25 hectares) would be reclaimed from Belfast Lough under ambitious proposals to expand Belfast Harbour that have been lodged with planning authorities. BBC News reports on the three-year scheme planned for the seaward end of…

#WWICruiser –Repairs to vital weatherproofing have started on HMS Caroline in advance of major restorative work to turn the famous World War One fighting ship as previously reported into a floating museum in Belfast. It came dangerously close to sinking…

#Belfast400 – Belfast's 400 years of maritime history is being recognized with a new exhibition. The News Letter which has more reports that the new heritage space 'A Port that Built A City' in Belfast Harbour details the city's emergence…

#GreenPort – Once again Belfast Harbour has been named as one of Northern Ireland's top 'green' companies in a major environmental survey. The harbour scored the second highest marks and was awarded Platinum quintile status in this year's NI Environmental…

#OilRig- As previously reported a giant offshore drilling platform standing 360ft high has made its way from Brazil to Northern Ireland for maintenance, before being redeployed to the North Sea. The Belfast Telegraph which has more on this story writes…

#BelfastBarge – Dublin Docklands has the M.V. Cill Airne, the floating restaurant and bar venue however are you aware of The Belfast Barge and its maritime museum, writes Jehan Ashmore. The Lagan Legacy's Barge bears a precious cargo with the…