Belfast Lough
Record Freight at Belfast Harbour As Volumes in RoI traffic Shifts North
7th February 2022 Belfast Lough
A record breaking Belfast Harbour handled 25.6 million tonnes of cargo during 2021 as freight traffic switched north to avoid new post-Brexit checks between Britain and the Republic, new figures suggest. Harbour Commissioners have released early trading data showing an…
New Lifeboat on the Way for Lagan Search and Rescue After Successful Grant Application
4th February 2022 Belfast Lough
Lagan Search and Rescue (LSR) on Belfast Lough has announced that following a successful application to the Department of Agriculture Rural Community Rescue Scheme, the charity will be able to replace its ageing fleet of emergency response vehicles, update personal…
SUFTUM which means Stand Up for the Ulster Men is the rallying cry for the Ulster Rugby team and is of course part of the Ravenhill Roar heard most enthusiastically reverberating around the Kingspan Stadium at Ravenhill when Ulster play…
Foiling Boat Tech Firm Artemis Opens Manufacturing Facility in Belfast
24th January 2022 Belfast Lough
Artemis Technologies has opened a new facility in Belfast as it prepares to commence testing of its transformative new Artemis eFoiler(R) electric propulsion system. The 42,200 sq ft facility in Titanic Quarter’s Channel Commercial Park, will house the company’s manufacturing…
Bangor Town Regatta on Belfast Lough Makes Welcome Return in 2022
24th January 2022 Bangor Town Regatta
A ‘Town’ Regatta at Bangor on Belfast Lough was first held over a century ago and saw reincarnation in 2018. Subsequent planned events fell foul of Covid 19 but Royal Ulster has just announced the welcome return of the regatta…
Russell McGovern, known generally as Rusty, started Stratus sailing school in 2016 out of Bangor Marina on Belfast Lough, with a 31-footer and two 25 footers. He has now moved on to a new venture, replacing those three with a…
From this Friday (14 January), Unifeeder Shortsea will be launching its new shipping service linking Rotterdam to/from the ports of Dublin, Cork and Belfast. The company promises that this new service in the Irish Sea offers an enhanced carrying capacity,…
Not too long ago the City of Belfast had turned its back on the River Lagan which enters Belfast Lough on the border between Counties Antrim and Down. But since 1989 when the Laganside Corporation began redevelopment of the surrounding…
Belfast’s Rich Maritime Heritage to Feature in City Quays Gardens Design
3rd January 2022 Belfast Lough
The Clarendon Docks are the oldest remaining docks in Belfast Harbour, built in the 1800s by Belfast’s first commercial shipbuilder, William Ritchie. He originally set his shipyard up at the Old Lime Kiln Dock (inland from the present location) but…
Mixed Dinghy Fleet Gets Two Races in Ballyholme's Boxing Day Regatta
27th December 2021 Belfast Lough
It was grey and damp, with a cold gusty offshore South Easterly in Ballyholme Bay on Boxing Day (26th) but although the morning mass charity swim was postponed, racing went ahead in the afternoon with a mixed dinghy fleet sailing…
Two open water swimmers who got into difficulty during their Christmas Day swim near Bangor in Northern Ireland have been praised for wearing kit that made it easier to find them. The pair were reported to be having problems in…
Persistence Pays off for Ballyholme Yacht Club Cadets at Christmas Regatta
24th December 2021 Belfast Lough
Great patience was required from the 44 youngsters competing in the 39 dinghies at the Ballyholme Yacht Club Cadet Christmas Regatta as wind was scarce on Belfast Lough. But persist they did in a variety of dinghies – Toppers, Picos,…
Gone are the days when sail racing was a summer sport and regattas only ran in the warmer months on Belfast Lough. Now even young sailors are afloat virtually all year. Forty-six entered Part One of the Junior Icebreaker series…
Abandoned Final Race Rounds off Royal North RS 400 Winter Series on Belfast Lough
22nd December 2021 Belfast Lough
Just like on the previous Sunday the competitors in the final race day of Royal North of Ireland’s RS400 Winter Series hosted by the club on the south shore of Belfast Lough gathered last Sunday (19th) looking out at a…
Bangor Waterfront Project Envisages Development of Ballyholme Yacht Club as Watersports Centre
20th December 2021 Belfast Lough
Investment in a two-mile stretch of Bangor Waterfront on Belfast Lough is part of the recently announced £1billion Belfast City Deal funding. Plans already published for Bangor Waterfront aim to “reconnect the town with the sea through a range of…
Council Advises Vigilance as Hemlock Water Dropwort Plant Washes up on Groomsport Beach
19th December 2021 Belfast Lough
Ards and North Down Council has warned the public that Hemlock Water Dropwort, also known as ‘Poisonous Parsnip’ has washed up on Groomsport beach where it was seen and reported by a member of the public. Groomsport is about two…