Displaying items by tag: Harland & Wolff
#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 production, storage and offloading vessel" for the Canadian firm Husky Energy.
As pictured above by Afloat.ie, the giant floating factory left Belfast four days early, under budget and with no injuries or environmental incidents, before sailing to Newfoundland.
Once the current job is completed, the Blackford Dolphin as previously reported on Afloat.ie will move to the North Sea, where it will begin its next drilling contract with MPX and Capricorn, respectively. Despite the decline in shipbuilding, Harland & Wolff is carving a new niche in the offshore and renewables markets.
The most recent ship built at the yard was the MV Anvil Point, which left Harland & Wolff in 2003. It was owned by a consortium including the Bibby Line company, ironically the owners of the Venetian, the very first ship built by the Belfast shipyard.
Giant 360ft Oil Rig Arrives in Belfast from Brazil For Refurbishment
#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 that this is one of the biggest oil rigs ever to be refurbished at Harland & Wolff shipyard and was towed at a snail's pace across the Atlantic to Belfast, taking more than three months to get here.
The shipyard's landmark yellow gantry cranes, Samson and Goliath, have had to be moved along their tracks to the city end of the building dock for the 60-day duration of the refurbishment contract.
Harland and Wolff Recruit 600 Temporary Jobs for Giant Oil Rig Refurbishment
#OilRig – Harland & Wolff are to recruit 600 skilled tradesmen to work on one of the biggest oil rigs to be refurbished in Belfast.
According to the Belfast Telegraph which has more on this story, the giant offshore drilling platform Blackford Dolphin is on its way from Brazil to Northern Ireland for maintenance before being redeployed to the North Sea.
The contract worth tens of millions of pounds to Harland and Wolff shipyard and will take almost two months to complete.
H&W Headquarters and Drawing Offices to be Restored
#TitanicDrawingOffice- Northern Ireland's Alliance East Belfast MLA Judith Cochrane has welcomed the £5m grant from the UK's Heritage Lottery Fund programme that will restore the Harland & Wolff headquarters building and drawing offices in the Titanic Quarter.
Build.ie reports that the Grade B+ listed building will be turned into a boutique hotel which will create 109 jobs.
Judith Cochrane MLA said: "It is great news that a key part of our shipbuilding heritage will be restored with this grant. I hope this new hotel will become another place for tourists to see part of the Titanic's history.
"The new jobs created by this hotel will be a big boost to the local economy."
H&W Group Enjoy Successful Recovery
#BelfastLough – Belfast's Harland and Wolff Group (H&W) continues to operate as an expanding diverse engineering business.
The group has a number of special capabilities related to marine engineering and design, ship repair, and including offshore wind-farm fabrication. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Norwegian Fred Olsen Energy Group.
In 2012, H&W enjoyed a significant increase in turnover and improved its profitability. This followed a loss in 2010 when trading conditions were described as 'externally challenging' and a recovery in 2011. For more on this story The Belfast Telegraph reports.
Birthday Bash as HMS Belfast Celebrates 75th Anniversary
#HMSBelfast – The Thames floating landmark, HMS Belfast celebrates its 75th anniversary, coinciding with this weekend's St. Patrick festivities held on both sides of the Irish Sea, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The Town-Class cruiser was launched on St. Patrick's Day 1938 from Harland & Wolff, Belfast. She is one of the last surviving WW2 warships remaining in UK waters. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy the following year and placed under the command of Captain G.A. Scott DSO.
During her career, HMS Belfast opened fire in support of Allied troops during the D-Day landing, was on escort duty during Artic convoys of merchant ships in addition to involvement in the Korean War.
To commemorate the historical significance of HMS Belfast, which has been moored on the Thames since 1971 as a major tourist attraction, a series of special events are to be held this weekend.
Her Belfast-based counterpart, the C-Class light cruiser HMS Caroline, which served in World War I having been built in 1914 at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, lies on the Lagan.
As previously reported, the fate of the former Battle of Jutland survivor was secured following last year's decision to protect the vessel from falling into disrepair with a £1m restoration grant.
On completion of the work on the veteran vessel now in her 99th year, she is to become a major tourist attraction likewise of HMS Belfast.
'Titanic II' Plans Unveiled By Mining Millionaire
#Titanic - An Australian mining millionaire has unveiled his plans to resurrect the Titanic for the 21st century, as The Irish Times reports.
Clive Palmer wants to build a new version of the ill-fated cruise liner - to be dubbed Titanic II - recreating the style and comfort of the original, but with modern navigational instruments and enough lifeboats for all on board.
"Titanic was a ship of dreams and Titanic II promises to be the ship where dreams come true," he told reporters at the Ritz Hotel in London last week.
Already he claims that 40,000 people have enquired about passage, and 16 individuals have offered $1 million each for a state room on the new liner for its maiden voyage after the vessel is completed in late 2016.
Titanic II will not be an exact replica of its predecessor, as it's planned to be four metres wider to provide greater stability, as well as featuring stabilisers and reverse propellers to provide for a more comfortable voyage.
It will also not be built at Harland & Wolff, the Belfast Lough shipyards that constructed the original White Star Line vessel, instead being contracted to the world record-holding large ship facilities at Jiangsu in China.
The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.
Detained Cruiseship Departs Dublin Port After Fuel Bill Resolved
#CRUISESHIP RELEASED – As previously reported, the Princess Danae (1955/16,531grt) which was at the centre of a dispute over an unpaid fuel bill departed Dublin Port last night, after the High Court set aside orders it had earlier granted detaining the vessel.
Yesterday afternoon the High Court ordered the arrest and detention of the Madeira registered vessel which arrived in Dublin yesterday morning, having sailed through the North Channel.
The 800 passenger and crew capacity cruiseship, was detained arising out of an alleged failure by its owners to pay an outstanding fuel bill of $94,000 (€74,940).
All but three bunks aboard the ship were occupied at the time Princess Danae was detained. The vessel was built originally as the cargoship Port Melbourne by Harland & Wolff, Belfast and is currently en-route to La Rochelle in western France.
Ports & Shipping Review: Champagne Voyage, Cruiseship Safety, Scienceship, Ferry Sold, P&O 175th,Belfast Boost
#PORTS & SHIPPING REVIEW - Over the last fortnight Jehan Ashmore has reported from the shipping scene which saw the second WFSV Gardian 10 make a delivery 'Champagne 'promo-voyage to her UK East coast based owners.
Following the Costa Concordia incident, tighter inspections of vessels visiting our ports will be carried out according to the Marine Survey Office.
With all things scientific with the ESOF conference in Dublin, as part of Dublin City of Science 2012, there is still time to apply for the Marine Institute's training position for their research vessel operations.
The last ever passenger (incl. car-ferry) built by Harland & Wolff in 1981, the St. David for Sealink/British Rail departed on her long delivery voyage for new Indonesian owners. For most of her career she served as the Stena Caledonia on the North Channel routes until her recent sale and renaming to Portlink.
P&O Cruises Arcadia sailed into Dublin Bay following a spectacular gathering of her fleetmates in Solent waters to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the world famous shipping company. P&O can trace their origins with an Irish connection as the Dublin and London Steam Packet Co. chartered their paddle-steamer William Fawcett, the vessel being regarded as the first ship working for P&O.
Belfast Harbour revealed record traffic levels for the year 2010-2011 as outlined at the company's annual report. The port showed a 2% rise in profit before taxation to £17.8m and a 4% increase in turnover to £36.1m.
Also in the northern port, the new iconic waterfront landmark of the Belfast Titanic visitor attraction is a key contributory factor in drawing the cruiseship sector. A total of 41 cruise callers are scheduled in 2012 which is an increase to last year's 32 ships.
Tribute to 'Forgotten' Titanic Workers in Belfast
#TITANIC - A new plaque has been unveiled in Belfast to remember eight men who died during construction of the Titanic in the city more than 100 years ago.
As UTV News reports, NI First Minister Peter Robinson was on hand at the unveiling of the tribute on the wall outside the Harland & Wolff Welders Club on Dee Street in East Belfast.
The First Minister described the eight men as an integral part of the Titanic story.
"In an era when the phrase 'health and safety' did not even exist it was seen as an inevitability that lives would be lost during any major construction or engineering project.
"It is important the story is told of those who built what was the largest ship afloat at that time."
Construction of the ill-fated cruise liner began in Slipway No 3 at the Harland & Wolff shipyards in March 1909, more than two years before her launch.
The workers' tribute joins a new memorial in the grounds of Belfast City Hall that lists the names of all 1,512 passengers and crew who perished in the tragedy.
UTV News has more on the story HERE.
