The majestic Marina of Oceania Cruises was the sole ship at 'anchorage' in Dublin Bay yesterday midday, but more merchant shipping and naval movements took place, adding to a busy scene, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The cruise ship had arrived from Belfast as part of a UK, Ireland, and Iberia itinerary, which, according to its advertised schedule, involved a departure from Southampton, followed by calls to Dover, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Invergordon, Stornoway, Ullapool, Greencastle, Greenock (Glasgow), and Douglas, Isle of Man.
At 239 metres long, the elegant Marina made anchorage off Dun Laoghaire Harbour, from where its tenders shuttled passengers from the 1,156-capacity and 754-crew cruise ship.
In addition to assisting an efficient operation of visitors to Dun Laoghaire, the local chartered in Dublin Bay Cruises excursion vessel, St. Bridget, the one-time serving west of Ireland, Aran Islands, and later Inishbofin Island ferry (see story), took tourists to and from the cruise ship, but at the expense of routine local excursions that were cancelled.
As for cruise ship tourists, they travelled to Dublin and took in the surrounding region of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, where the local council, DLRCoCo, controls the south Dublin Bay harbour.
Following its call to Dún Laoghaire, Marina continued to Cobh, Cork Harbour, from where, after today’s call to the Munster port of call, beckons Bordeaux, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, and the nearby border to Spain. But calling further to the west at Gijón and La Coruña, and then to neighbouring Portugal to Porto, and from where the final cruise leg is to conclude at the capital, Lisbon.
Merchant Navy: Containerships, Dredgers, Ferries, etc
Containership's from Irish Continental Group’s (ICG)’s division EUCON were bound to and from mainland Europe along with more modern tonnage from competitors.
While busy operating with spoil from Dublin Port to discharge at the Burford Bank, the Dutch-flagged hopper-dredger Diogo Cao and operational self-propelled partner pontoon, Cosette.
As for the Swedish-designed and built-in China-first E-Flexer class ferry, Stena Estrid was inbound from Holyhead.
While also inbound, Norwegian-based operator Wilson ASA’s small short-sea trader, Wilson Palma, was in ballast, having sailed from Warrenpoint, Co. Down. When off Killiney Bay, it headed towards the capital before picking up a pilot in the southern approaches. Its next port of call is Leixoes, Portugal.
As for the northern approaches, the Danish flagged tallship Georg Stage from Oban, Scotland, arrived off Howth Harbour to anchor, where it remains today, but is to visit Dublin tomorrow for a five-day visit. Its Norwegian counterpart, Sorlandet, which, as reported, arrived from Lerwick, Shetland, at the weekend, is to depart this Saturday. In the meantime, the Swedish-flagged Gunilla left earlier today for Cherbourg, France, leaving the Pelican of London, which took part in the inaugural Dublin City Council Liffey Festival, set to depart for Avonmouth, England, on the Bristol Channel.
Naval NATO flotilla departs Dublin bound for mainland Europe
Just shy of noon off the Baily Lighthouse, Howth Peninsula, the lead ship of a five-strong NATO naval fleet of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) headed into the Irish Sea in their role in presence and security. While also advancing mine countermeasure operations and locating and destroying legacy naval mines, unexploded ordnance, and ammunition from past conflicts in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.
They comprised a flotilla of vessels from the same number of nations, set forth out of Dublin Port. The crew had spent several days in the capital with the naval vessels berthed downriver discreetly from the fanfare of the first Dublin City Council Liffey Festival (follow-up coverage) attended by tall ships and the brand-new Revenue Customs Cutter R.C.C. Cosaint, which also was open to public tours.
The foreign nations of the NATO flotilla involved three EU member states, Germany, Poland, and Lithuania, and a North Atlantic ally, Canada, which saw the flotilla arrive from Reykjavík anchorage, Iceland. The Canadian twins departed their homeport of Halifax, Nova Scotia, to deploy on Operation Reassurance as part of SNMCMG1 flotilla operations.
The international naval flotilla, as outlined below, had berthed at Deep Water Berth, otherwise known locally as the ‘Coal Quay,' along the south bank, downriver of Ringsend.
Germany Navy: Homburg (M1069)
Poland Navy: Mewa (603)
Lithuanian Navy: Jotvingis (N42)
Canadian Royal Navy’s Edmonton (703)
and the same series, Moncton (708)
On departing Dublin Bay, they proceeded to the Kish Lighthouse. From there to the south off the bank, a rendezvous took place with the Naval Service OPV90 P60 class L.E. James Joyce (P62), which had previously called to Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
The second of the P60 class/Becket playwrights participated in PASSEX evolutions with SNMCMG, which are designed to test and enhance the Naval Service's interoperability and functionality with other Western navies to ensure the highest standards.
