Search & Rescue, Water Safety - News from the Marine Safety Agencies
An Aran island family with several generations of volunteering with the RNLI lifeboat are featured in the first episode of a special series of RTÉ Radio 1’s Seascapes to mark the RNLI’s bicentenary. The three-part series also carries an interview…
Major Rescue in Irish Sea as Lifeboats Respond to Fishing Vessel Mayday
9th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
RNLI lifeboats from Ireland and the UK launched to a Mayday distress call from a fishing vessel taking on water on Friday (8 March). The 24-metre Irish trawler had five crew onboard and was some 21 nautical miles northwest of…
Baltimore RNLI Rescue Team Evacuates a Medical Emergency from Cape Clear Island
7th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
Late on Wednesday night, Baltimore RNLI received a request from the Irish Coast Guard to provide a medical evacuation for a man living on Cape Clear Island, located off the coast of West Cork. The Baltimore all-weather lifeboat crew, consisting…
New Legal Challenge to Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter Contract
7th March 2024 Coastguard
Bristow Ireland says it won’t comment on a new legal challenge pursued by CHC Ireland over the new Irish Coast Guard search and rescue (SAR) helicopter contract. As The Irish Independent reports, CHC Ireland claims that there has been a…
RNLI Marks Bicentenary in Dublin on the Liffey and in London's Westminster Abbey
4th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
Dublin’s Tom Clarke bridge was lifted for an RNLI lifeboat on Monday morning – but it wasn’t in response to a tasking. The Dun Laoghaire Harbour lifeboat steamed up the Liffey and berthed on North Wall Quay to mark the…
Lifeboat Charity Celebrates 200 Years Saving Lives at Sea with Launch of An Post Stamps
4th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will mark its 200th anniversary of saving lives at sea by launching two commemorative stamps in collaboration with An Post today. To celebrate the launch of these stamps, some of the charity's volunteer lifeboat…
Fishing Vessel Crew Rescued by Irish Coast Guard after Grounding on Inis Mór
3rd March 2024 Coastguard
Five crew members were rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after their fishing vessel ran aground on the northern side of Inis Mór, on the Aran Islands. The emergency call was received by the Valentia Coast Guard shortly before 5am…
The Irish Coast Guard has said it is “closely monitoring developments” after the Sikorsky S-92A crash in Norway earlier this week which claimed one life. A woman in her sixties died and five people were injured when the helicopter crashed…
Dunmore East RNLI in County Waterford has announced the appointment of David Murray as its new full-time Station Mechanic. David, who has been a volunteer with the lifeboat station since 2013, has made significant contributions to the team and the…
European Ombusdman Calls for Independent Inquiry Into Large Number of Mediterranean Deaths
1st March 2024 Rescue
A European Ombudsman inquiry into Frontex’s role in search and rescue operations says that the current rules leave the EU’s border and coast guard agency unable fully to fulfil its fundamental rights obligations. The inquiry says Frontex has no internal…
Incident Where Fishing Crew Survived Asphyxiation Could Have Been "Far More Serious" - MCIB Report
1st March 2024 MCIB
An incident where two crew members of a fishing vessel were asphyxiated during a fish tank cleaning operation could have had a “far more serious outcome” but for a number of factors, the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has said.…
Portrush RNLI Welcomes Causeway Shantymen as RNLI Water Safety Ambassadors
29th February 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
Portrush Lifeboat Station has welcomed “aboard” the Causeway Shantymen as the latest RNLI Ambassadors. The Causeway Shantymen have become ambassadors for the RNLI during its 200th year. They have drawn great inspiration from a collaboration with Portrush RNLI and hope…
We regret to record the death of Clayton Love Jr, a founder of the Irish Yachting Association, now Irish Sailing. Born in 1929, Clayton held the office of President of the IYA for a decade between 1962 and 1972, establishing…
The Department of Transport advises that it has re-established a panel of surveyors to conduct surveys of small fishing vessels of less than 15 metres in length, to check for compliance with the department’s Code of Practice for such vessels.…
RYANI Discussing Options for Safe Disposal of Out-of-Date Flares
25th February 2024 RYA Northern Ireland
RYA Northern Ireland says it has been in discussions with British Marine and other stakeholders regarding the safe disposal of out-of-date flares. Marine flares have become increasingly difficult to dispose of in Northern Ireland in recent years, which RYANI recognises…
Wicklow RNLI Rescues Three Fishermen After Mechanical Failure at Sea
24th February 2024 RNLI Lifeboats
Three fishermen were rescued by the Wicklow RNLI on Thursday afternoon, February 22. The fishermen were brought to safety after their vessel developed mechanical problems three miles southeast of Wicklow Head. The lifeboat, RNLB Bridie O’Shea, was dispatched from the…
