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Displaying items by tag: Dispose R class

9th November 2017

Irish Short-Sea Trader And Former Sister Embark On New Welsh Career Together Depart Swansea

#SistersDryDock - A pair of sisters, one Irish flagged the other recently transferred to the UK departed before noon today and within half an hour of eachother having vacated the docks system in Swansea, south Wales, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The Arklow Shipping Ltd (ASL) short-sea trader Arklow Raider was tracked by Afloat and a former sister, Arklow Rally which was only renamed Celtic Freedom this week.

Both Dutch built 2002 cargoships sisters underwent maintenance at the recently upgraded Swansea Drydocks Ltd, as the marine repair and shiprecycling business having been taken over. According to SDL, Arklow Raider became the first ship to use the refurbished facility last month.

Arklow Rally is an R class 4,950dwt cargoship that ASL has disposed and now as Celtic Freedom is part of Welsh shipowners fleet, Charles M. Willie & Co. (Shipping) Ltd. Only last year, the Cardiff based operator acquired Arklow Rose also dating to 2002. The pair form a 9 strong fleet for the Welsh company that had a previous Celtic Freedom, albeit smaller in dwt terms and was sold three years ago to Turkish interests.

The business of drydocking used to see ASL send some of their short-sea traders to Dublin Graving Docks until a lease of the facility from Dublin Port Company led to closure in April 2016. The strategic facility in the Irish capital though was temporaily reopened earlier this year but by DPC so to permit an overhaul of tallship, Jeanie Johnston.

Local tug, Svitzer Bently was joined in the loch by Celtic Freedom, while waiting astern in Kings Dock basin Arklow Raider having taken up position in the port operated by ABP South Wales.

Pilot cutter, Beaufort accompanied the cargoship beyond the port's piers into Swansea Bay, before returning to transfer again to an already departed Arklow Raider waiting in the channel. The double departures took approximately half an hour to complete by the time the second ship cleared Swansea's entance around 11.45 this morning.

The maiden commercial voyage of Celtic Freedom sees the almost 90m cargoship make a voyage bound for Fredrikstrad, Norway while Arklow Raider only has to head across the Bristol Channel to Royal (Portbury) Docks.

Portury docks which is the modern port for Bristol is where Arklow Raider made her first sailing following completion of dry docking late last month, before crossing the Celtic Sea to Cork followed by short coastal run to Limerick. It is from the Irish west coast estuary port that the cargoship had returned in recent days to the south Wales port.

Unlike, Arklow Raider the what was to become Celtic Freedom was allocated in Swansea Drydocks the adjacent smaller Prince of Wales dry dock (No.2) that measures 170m in length. This compared to the larger namesake counterpart at just over 200m. Dry dock No.2, previously known as Palmers Dry Dock, was established in 1923 and Dry Dock No.1, formerly known as the Duke of Edinburgh Dry Dock which was built in 1958.

In the preceeding year in Dublin Port was then unveiled the new dry dry No. 2 at 220m long was the largest in the State. A neighbouring much older dry dock dating to the 1860's was during the Celtic Tiger years infilled, however thankfully plans by DPC are to re-excavate the listed structure as part of a new heritage tourism venue.

The absence of Arklow Rally within the ASL fleet, leaves only one larger sized dwt R class sister, Arklow Rambler. As the rest of the remaining 11 class are marginally smaller given a dwt of 4,933dwt and built between 2004 and 2007. 

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Dublin Bay

Dublin Bay on the east coast of Ireland stretches over seven kilometres, from Howth Head on its northern tip to Dalkey Island in the south. It's a place most Dubliners simply take for granted, and one of the capital's least visited places. But there's more going on out there than you'd imagine.

The biggest boating centre is at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the Bay's south shore that is home to over 1,500 pleasure craft, four waterfront yacht clubs and Ireland's largest marina.

The bay is rather shallow with many sandbanks and rocky outcrops, and was notorious in the past for shipwrecks, especially when the wind was from the east. Until modern times, many ships and their passengers were lost along the treacherous coastline from Howth to Dun Laoghaire, less than a kilometre from shore.

The Bay is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea and is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south. North Bull Island is situated in the northwest part of the bay, where one of two major inshore sandbanks lie, and features a 5 km long sandy beach, Dollymount Strand, fronting an internationally recognised wildfowl reserve. Many of the rivers of Dublin reach the Irish Sea at Dublin Bay: the River Liffey, with the River Dodder flow received less than 1 km inland, River Tolka, and various smaller rivers and streams.

Dublin Bay FAQs

There are approximately ten beaches and bathing spots around Dublin Bay: Dollymount Strand; Forty Foot Bathing Place; Half Moon bathing spot; Merrion Strand; Bull Wall; Sandycove Beach; Sandymount Strand; Seapoint; Shelley Banks; Sutton, Burrow Beach

There are slipways on the north side of Dublin Bay at Clontarf, Sutton and on the southside at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, and in Dalkey at Coliemore and Bulloch Harbours.

Dublin Bay is administered by a number of Government Departments, three local authorities and several statutory agencies. Dublin Port Company is in charge of navigation on the Bay.

Dublin Bay is approximately 70 sq kilometres or 7,000 hectares. The Bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north-south base, and seven km in length east-west to its peak at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth Head in the north to Dalkey Point in the south.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour on the southside of the Bay has an East and West Pier, each one kilometre long; this is one of the largest human-made harbours in the world. There also piers or walls at the entrance to the River Liffey at Dublin city known as the Great North and South Walls. Other harbours on the Bay include Bulloch Harbour and Coliemore Harbours both at Dalkey.

There are two marinas on Dublin Bay. Ireland's largest marina with over 800 berths is on the southern shore at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The other is at Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club on the River Liffey close to Dublin City.

Car and passenger Ferries operate from Dublin Port to the UK, Isle of Man and France. A passenger ferry operates from Dun Laoghaire Harbour to Howth as well as providing tourist voyages around the bay.

Dublin Bay has two Islands. Bull Island at Clontarf and Dalkey Island on the southern shore of the Bay.

The River Liffey flows through Dublin city and into the Bay. Its tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac.

Dollymount, Burrow and Seapoint beaches

Approximately 1,500 boats from small dinghies to motorboats to ocean-going yachts. The vast majority, over 1,000, are moored at Dun Laoghaire Harbour which is Ireland's boating capital.

In 1981, UNESCO recognised the importance of Dublin Bay by designating North Bull Island as a Biosphere because of its rare and internationally important habitats and species of wildlife. To support sustainable development, UNESCO’s concept of a Biosphere has evolved to include not just areas of ecological value but also the areas around them and the communities that live and work within these areas. There have since been additional international and national designations, covering much of Dublin Bay, to ensure the protection of its water quality and biodiversity. To fulfil these broader management aims for the ecosystem, the Biosphere was expanded in 2015. The Biosphere now covers Dublin Bay, reflecting its significant environmental, economic, cultural and tourism importance, and extends to over 300km² to include the bay, the shore and nearby residential areas.

On the Southside at Dun Laoghaire, there is the National Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club and Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club as well as Dublin Bay Sailing Club. In the city centre, there is Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club. On the Northside of Dublin, there is Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club and Sutton Dinghy Club. While not on Dublin Bay, Howth Yacht Club is the major north Dublin Sailing centre.

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