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Displaying items by tag: Lysblink Seaways

#CargoshipsEnd - Lysblink Seaways, the paper-products cargsoship, which ran aground off the Scottish west coast in February, is according to InverClydeNow.com to be broken up on the Clyde after damage proved too extensive to repair.

The side-loading carrier vessel was originally towed to Greenock following the incident near Ardnamurchan Point and has been in Inchgreen Drydock as previously reported on Afloat.ie for more than a month for inspected.

But yesterday she was towed across the river to DRB Marine Services at Rosneath. They have confirmed that they have been awarded the job of taking the ship apart for recycling.

The 394ft-long (120-metre) Lysblink Seaways was carrying paper from Belfast to Norway when she got into difficulty at Kilchoan in the early hours of Wednesday 18 February.

The ship, which was built in 2000 and lengthened in 2004, had called at Greenock Ocean Terminal just three days before the accident.

Kasper Moos, vice president of technical organisation at the ship's owners DFDS Group, confirmed that the hull damage is too extensive for the ship to be repaired. "Therefore, it has been decided to recycle the vessel," he said.

To view photographs from the news report which shows the vessel after the incident been assisted by tugs on the Clyde, click here.

Published in Ports & Shipping

#Shipping - Stricken cargo ship the Lysblink Seaways was set to be moved to a safe haven yesterday afternoon (25 February) in advance of poor weather.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the 120m-long vessel ran around near Ardnamuchan Point in Scotland's West Highlands a week ago while en route from Belfast to Norway.

The ship later refloated in high tide a day after her hull was lifted onto the rocky shore near Kilchoan.

Divers began inspections for damage as the Lysblink Seaways dropped anchor near the grounding spot in Mingary Bay.

But according to Practical Boat Owner, severe weather forecast for the next few days prompted quick action to pump out more than 150 tonnes of fuel from the ship.

She was then scheduled to be towed to a safe anchorage at Scallastle Bay in the Sound of Mull, some 17 miles away.

Practical Boat Owner has more on the story HERE.

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!