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Displaying items by tag: Brexit Minister

#ferries - There have been calls for the UK Prime Minister to remove the threat of a no-deal Brexit have been repeated by the Counsel General and Brexit Minister Jeremy Miles, following a visit to Holyhead Port.

As ITV News reports, he met with the Port's manager, Captain Wyn Parry, who set out some of his concerns about operations in Holyhead if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal.

Welsh ports are the gateway between Ireland and the rest of Europe, with 80% of goods carried in Irish-registered HGVs between the Republic of Ireland and Europe passing through Welsh ports.

Holyhead is the second busiest roll-on roll-off ferry port in the UK - providing the link in the supply chain for businesses across Wales, the UK and Ireland.

To read a comment by the Brexit Minister, click here. 

Published in Ferry

#Ports&Shipping - The Brexit Secretary reports BBC News, has pledged that the government will not sign up to any deal which could threaten the UK's constitutional integrity.

Dominic Raab made the comments after a one-day visit to Northern Ireland, where he met with businesses in Warrenpoint and Larne, and he also met with politicians at Stormont.

Asked three times if the government had ruled out any new regulatory checks at the Irish Sea ports, he said: "We are engaged in a negotiation process". He added that he was not going to engage in a running commentary but said the UK position was "we want to preserve the internal market within the United Kingdom".

For more on the whistle-stop tour by the Minister click here.

In addition Afloat noted on BBC 1 Newsline's related coverage yesterday, Arklow Faith docked in Warrenpoint Port. The Irish flagged short-sea trader is seen in spectacular footage (video) while ploughing into heavy seas as part of the advance promotion of the recent RTE 1 series 'The Great Lighthouses of Ireland' which concluded last month.

The four part documentary series highlighted the lives and roles played by the former Lighthouse keepers and their families and Irish Lights continued critical duties in providing aids to navigation for seafarers and shipping on an all island basis. 

Shipping such as Arklow Faith which today departed Warrenpoint and was tracked by Afloat in the Irish Sea before entering St. Georges Channel this afternoon. The 89m general cargoship is bound for the UK port of Rochester, located near Chatham on the River Medway that leads off the Thames estuary. 

Published in Ports & Shipping

Marine Wildlife Around Ireland One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with marine wildlife.  It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. As boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat.  Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!