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Displaying items by tag: smuggling

#RosslarePort - RTÉ News reports that two men are due before a special sitting of Wexford District Court this morning (Sunday 5 May) on drug smuggling charges after being stopped on entry at Rosslare Europort.

The Lithuanian men were stopped in their van as is drove off a ferry from France at Rosslare on Friday after customs drug dog Ralph indicated the presence of drugs in the vehicle, according to The Irish Times.

Upon search, customs officers discovered a haul of heroin and amphetamines with a street value of some €190,000 - along with a cache of steroids, tobacco and alcohol.

As The Daily Edge reports, Ralph the sniffer dog has been with Revenue's Customs Service since last summer working the Rosslare entry port, where he has previously sniffed out more than €300,000 worth of cannabis resin.

Published in Ports & Shipping

#Coastguard - Dublin MEP Gay Mitchell has called for the formation of a Europe-wide coastguard to tackle the scourge of drug smuggling, as Herald.ie reports.

The Fine Gael MEP said that cocaine in particular "is still entering the EU from South America" through the larger commercial ports in Belgium and the Netherlands.

He also claimed that Ireland "is losing €526m per year in revenue" due to tobacco smuggling.

His comments come as Justice Minister Alan Shatter outlined Ireland's determination to address the potential for collaboration by enhancing maritime safety, security and surveillance in the EU during the State's EU presidency.

These moves come a year after the director of the Irish Coast Guard said greater co-operation between Europe's coastguard organisations is inevitable.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, IRCG chief Chris Reynolds told the audience at the Search and Rescue 2012 in Dublin that Europe's governments needed to develop a "sense of urgency" on the issue to deal with disasters such as the Costa Concordia tragedy.

Published in Coastguard

#LectureSmugglers – Following Joe Varley's lecture held last week in the Poolbeg Y&BC Marina, Dublin, there's another chance to hear his lecture "Smuggling in the 18th Century".

The lecture is to take place this Thursday (21 February) at 20.00hrs at Stella Maris Seafarers Club, Beresford Place, in the city-centre.

The illustrated talk is hosted by the Maritime Institute of Ireland and is part of the winter/spring lecture programme.

Varley will demonstrate why the 18th century is regarded as the golden age of smuggling. This contention will be examined from mainly the viewpoint of the smuggler.

Examples of Irish and British smuggling activity will be given, including a detailed example of wool smuggling from Roundstone in Connemara in the 1730's.

The Stella Maris is located close to the Irish Life Mall car park (ILAC), the Customs House and Busaras. It is convenient to the Luas (Red Line: Busaras stop) and DART (either Connolly or Tara Street stations).

The Maritime Institute has a maritime museum, the National Maritime Museum of Ireland located in Dun Laoghaire. Co. Dublin. For further details on lectures, museum and more click HERE.

Published in Boating Fixtures
Minister for Defence Tony Killeen rejected Fine Gael calls to reverse a decision to reduce by 200 the number of days the Naval Service patrols the coast in an attempt to cut costs. Fine Gael defence spokesman Jimmy Deenihan appealed for a reversal of what he called “a very foolish decision” because of the threat of drugs and other forms of smuggling by sea. Marie O'Halloran has the story in today's Irish Times here.
Published in News Update

ESB’s 2040 strategy Driven to Make a Difference: Net Zero by 2040 sets out a clear roadmap for ESB to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. 

ESB will develop and connect renewable energy to decarbonise the electricity system by 2040. ESB will invest in the development of new renewable generation, including onshore and offshore wind and solar, and will significantly increase the amount of renewable generation connected to our electricity networks.

ESB will:

  • Deliver more than a fivefold increase in our renewable generation portfolio to 5,000MW.
  • Reduce carbon intensity of generation fleet from 414 to 140gCO2/kWh by 2030.
  • Decarbonise 63% of our generation output by 2030 and 100% by 2040 (up from c20% now).

Offshore wind

ESB know the importance of offshore wind in tackling climate change and delivering net zero. Ireland has a unique capability given its prime location to take advantage of the potential of offshore wind. ESB are working hard to develop offshore wind projects for the benefit of everyone across society in Ireland and the UK. This includes ongoing engagement with marine users and local communities so ESB can deliver these significant projects.

Offshore wind will play a major role globally in our fight against climate change. It will help to replace energy generated by burning fossil fuels with that from a clean, safe and secure renewable energy source. Ireland’s geographic location on the exposed edge of the Atlantic presents us with a significant opportunity to generate electricity from wind – both offshore and onshore.

Power from onshore wind farms currently provide over one-third of Ireland’s electricity needs. But, whilst its marine area is many times the size of its landmass, Ireland’s offshore wind potential is only starting to be realised. ESB have a coastline stretching over 3,000km but only one operational offshore wind farm – Arklow Bank, with a capacity of 25 MW. In contrast, Belgium’s coastline is only 63km long, but it has already developed more than 2,000 MW of offshore wind. In Great Britain, with a coastline four times the length of ours, offshore wind generation now equates to over 440 Arklow Banks, with an installed capacity of 11,0000 MW as of late 2021.

The Irish Government's target to install 5,000 MW of offshore wind capacity in our maritime area by 2030 is set out in the Climate Action Plan 2021. It also has the objective to source 80% of Ireland’s electricity needs from renewables by the same year. In line with this, ESB is applying its professional and proven engineering expertise to the challenges set within the Climate Action Plan.

ESB are committed to playing a strong role in developing Ireland’s offshore wind potential for the benefit of the people of Ireland. This will be done in consultation with marine users and local communities, and with due care for the marine environment.