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Displaying items by tag: Airbus A380 Onboard

#AIRBUSship -As previously reported, the Airbus wing-carriership Ciudad de Cadiz (2009 /15,643grt) which was refloated off Mostyn over a week ago, arrived in Falmouth today, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Following the refloating of Ciudad de Cadiz which had arrived to load the wings, she sailed to Holyhead. The vessel had been anchored off the Anglesey port since last Sunday and where divers were to make hull inspections.

It is understood that Ville de Bordeaux was brought in to Mostyn, so to load the Airbus A380 wings constructed at the BAe factory at Broughton.

The Marseille-registered Ciudad de Cadiz, stayed in Falmouth until this evening, where she is heading for Pasajas, near the Spanish-French border.

Both vessels are jointly operated by French owners Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (through its subsidiary FRET SETAM) and Norwegian vehicle-carrier shipping company, Leif Höegh Autoliners.

 

Published in Ports & Shipping

P&SReview – Over the last fortnight, Jehan Ashmore has reported from the shipping scene, where the Stade, a cargo vessel rode out bad weather before docking at Fenit to load cranes built by Liebherr in Killarney, which as previously reported has received an order from the New Zealand port of Lyttelton.

The Port of Cork Company have signed up with Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in targets for improved energy efficiency set for 2020.

Drogheda Port handled over 1m tonnes of cargo, this level in throughput has not been surpassed since 2007. The Co. Louth port is to welcome a flotilla of tallships during the Drogheda Fringe Festival over the May Bank holiday.

For the first time, Paris will host this year's European (Shortsea '13) Conference on 14 March at La Defense.  Last year the IMDO hosted the event in Dublin's Mansion House.

Ports across Europe urged governments not to touch the envelope of €31.7billion foreseen for Europe's transport infrastructure investments under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

Belfast Harbour had a record 19.6m tonnes in 2012, up 11% on the previous year. The growth was primarily driven from the bulk and roll-on/roll-off (freight) sectors.

Irish Ferries fast-craft catamaran Jonathan Swift, returned fresh from dry-docking, she operates the Dublin-Holyhead route, where she clocks up an impressive 162,000kms each year.

A grounded ship that carries wings for the Airbus A380, Ciudad de Cadiz (2008/15,643grt) was re-floated yesterday, having broke moorings during a gale in late January off the Welsh port of Mostyn.

 

Published in Ports & Shipping

#WINGSHIPRefloated – A ship designed specifically to transport huge Airbus A380  wings, Ciudad de Cadiz (2008/15,643grt) was successfully refloated this morning, following grounding on a north Welsh sandbank off Mostyn, more than a week ago, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 125m vessel which operates between the port of Mostyn in Flintshire to Nantes, France, grounded on the Salisbury Sandbank on the Dee Estuary during 30 January.

She broke her moorings due to the severe weather conditions that led to the vessel beaching on the sandbank and within 1 nautical mile off the port's pier, to where she is now safely moored alongside.

 

ShipSpotting.com
© Barry Graham

 

Previous attempts to free the vessel which has no cargo on board, failed due to the continued gales and insufficient tidal heights.

The vessel was ballasted down and in an upright and safe position with tugs in attendance while the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) monitored the situaton. There were no reports of damage or pollution and that her 23 crew were reported safe and well remained onboard.

According to BCC North East Wales, the vessel is to head to Holyhead to undergo a full dive survey.

Ciudad de Cadiz, is one of three such specialist vessels that transport the wings manufactured at an Airbus plant at Broughton, from there they are firstly taken by road, then driven onto a custom-built stern-loading barge before finally reaching the port.

The components are then transferred via the pier's ro-ro linkspan and through the ships stern door ramp, and then sailed across the Bay of Biscay to Nantes (Montoir-de-Bretagne). From there the final leg of the journey is by road to the company's assembly factory at Toulouse in south-west France.

One of these ships, Ville de Bordeaux, (2004/21,528grt) had also recently called to Mostyn. The vessel which is jointly operated by two companies, had several years ago called to Rosslare to deliver trade cars, as the French partner's offshoot LD Lines, had run a short lived Rosslare-Le Havre ferry service by the ro-pax Norman Voyager.

 

Published in Ports & Shipping

Marine Institute Research Vessel Tom Crean

Ireland’s new marine research vessel will be named the RV Tom Crean after the renowned County Kerry seaman and explorer who undertook three major groundbreaking expeditions to the Antarctic in the early years of the 20th Century which sought to increase scientific knowledge and to explore unreached areas of the world, at that time.

Ireland's new multi-purpose marine research vessel RV Tom Crean, was delivered in July 2022 and will be used by the Marine Institute and other State agencies and universities to undertake fisheries research, oceanographic and environmental research, seabed mapping surveys; as well as maintaining and deploying weather buoys, observational infrastructure and Remotely Operated Vehicles.

The RV Tom Crean will also enable the Marine Institute to continue to lead and support high-quality scientific surveys that contribute to Ireland's position as a leader in marine science. The research vessel is a modern, multipurpose, silent vessel (designed to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research), capable of operating in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Tom Crean is able to go to sea for at least 21 days at a time and is designed to operate in harsh sea conditions.

RV Tom Crean Specification Overview

  • Length Overall: 52.8 m
  • Beam 14m
  • Draft 5.2M 

Power

  • Main Propulsion Motor 2000 kw
  • Bow Thruster 780 kw
  • Tunnel thruster 400 kw

Other

  • Endurance  21 Days
  • Range of 8,000 nautical miles
  • DP1 Dynamic Positioning
  • Capacity for 3 x 20ft Containers

Irish Marine Research activities

The new state-of-the-art multi-purpose marine research vessel will carry out a wide range of marine research activities, including vital fisheries, climate change-related research, seabed mapping and oceanography.

The new 52.8-metre modern research vessel, which will replace the 31-metre RV Celtic Voyager, has been commissioned with funding provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine approved by the Government of Ireland.

According to Aodhán FitzGerald, Research Vessel Manager of the MI, the RV Tom Crean will feature an articulated boom crane aft (6t@ 10m, 3T@ 15m), located on the aft-gantry. This will be largely used for loading science equipment and net and equipment handling offshore.

Mounted at the stern is a 10T A-frame aft which can articulate through 170 degrees which are for deploying and recovering large science equipment such as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV’s), towed sleds and for fishing operations.

In addition the fitting of an 8 Ton starboard side T Frame for deploying grabs and corers to 4000m which is the same depth applicable to when the vessel is heaving but is compensated by a CTD system consisting of a winch and frame during such operations.

The vessel will have the regulation MOB boat on a dedicated davit and the facility to carry a 6.5m Rigid Inflatable tender on the port side.

Also at the aft deck is where the 'Holland 1' Work class ROV and the University of Limericks 'Etain' sub-Atlantic ROV will be positioned. In addition up to 3 x 20’ (TEU) containers can be carried.

The newbuild has been engineered to endure increasing harsher conditions and the punishing weather systems encountered in the North-East Atlantic where deployments of RV Tom Crean on surveys spent up to 21 days duration.

In addition, RV Tom Crean will be able to operate in an ultra silent-mode, which is crucial to meet the stringent criteria of the ICES 209 noise standard for fisheries research purposes.

The classification of the newbuild as been appointed to Lloyds and below is a list of the main capabilities and duties to be tasked by RV Tom Crean:

  • Oceanographic surveys, incl. CTD water sampling
  • Fishery research operations
  • Acoustic research operations
  • Environmental research and sampling operation incl. coring
  • ROV and AUV/ASV Surveys
  • Buoy/Mooring operations