#WindsofChange – Afloat.ie has monitored Mein Schiff 5 movements noting the new cruiseship less than two months in service was forced to change its first ever call to an Irish port today, writes Jehan Ashmore.
It transpired that high winds forecast at Dublin Port were the cause and so the 2,750 passenger cruiseship had to call to Cobh, where the 295m newbuild berthed this morning but was due to call anyway tomorrow. Cruisegoers will not be left dissappointed as the near 100,00 gross tonnage ship will be simply swapping ports with the scheduled call to the capital a day later.
The impact of windage on the TUI Cruises newest ship with 15 decks high had to be considered when berthing in the confines of Dublin Port, where most callers are to Alexandra Basin.
Dublin Port Company’s first ever cruise terminal costing €30m is part of the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project (ABR) which is been built to accommodate even larger cruiseships and following a major dredging channel campaign.
A reconfiguration of quays will enable these mega cruiseships to call using an increased turning circle though at the expense of demolishing the end of the North Wall Quay Extension.
More quayside space and adjacent hard standing for cargo space, however will be made with the infilling of the Dublin Graving Docks that closed in April.
The ABR project is phase one of DPC plans to also permit increasingly larger cargsoships and associated deeper drafts to enter the port, so to meet demands of throughput which is forecast to rise, as the port in 2015 alone experienced record breaking volumes.
The 220m graving dock is nearby to where these mega cruiseships will dock at the two-berth terminal and much closer to city-centre, been next to the Tom Clarke toll-bridge.
