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Displaying items by tag: Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon

16th December 2013

Important Safety Information for the Attention of Users of Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons

Important Safety Information for the Attention of Users of Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons

The Irish Maritime Administration of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport wishes to bring important safety information to the attention of users of Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs).

The purpose of this notice is:-
• to highlight the importance of regular maintenance of EPIRBs by their owners;
• to highlight the obligation to register EPIRBs; and
• to advise users of certain GME EPIRBs that these have been the subject of a safety alert by the manufacturer.

It is vital for the safety of users of EPIRBs that you read and note the advice provided in the Marine Notices below which can be read on the Department's website at www.dttas.ie:

• Marine Notice No. 38 of 2013 which deals with the care and maintenance of EPIRBs, including the requirement for inspection and testing by owners. This Marine Notice also indicates that it is mandatory for all EPIRBs to be registered with the Irish Maritime Administration, and that changes to registered beacons must also be notified. If you own an EPIRB and have not yet registered it, or if you wish to notify any changes in ownership (or any other changes), please contact the Irish Maritime Administration as soon as possible. EPIRB registration is free of charge.

• Marine Notice No. 63 of 2013 which deals with a safety alert on GME EPIRBs. In the event of any EPIRB tested by the owner failing to produce a positive self-test result, owners should immediately contact their point of purchase or the manufacturer, or the GME email hotline at [email protected], as appropriate.

For any further enquiries please contact: 

Maritime Services Division, Irish Maritime Administration, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leeson Lane, Dublin 2, Ireland. 

Email: [email protected] . Telephone: 01-678 3400 (within Ireland) or +353-1-678 3400 (from abroad).

Published in Marine Warning
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9th October 2011

Fatality Rate for Fishermen An 'Absolute Tragedy'

Fatality Rate for Fishermen An 'Absolute Tragedy'
Fishermen and farmers make up more than half of all work-related fatalities in Ireland, according to the Minister for the Marine.
As The Irish Times reports, Simon Coveney TD decried it as an "absolute tragedy" in the Dáil.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1007/1224305390030.html
He noted the progress being made in encouraging people to wear safety gear when on the water, but said there was "little or no progress in getting fishermen to wear lifejackets”.
http://afloat.ie/safety/water-safety/
http://www.afloat.ie/port-news/fishing/
"For some reason fishermen seem to think they will never fall in the water," the minister commented.
Cork South West TD Noel Harrington also raised the point of the Department of the Marine's refusal to use personal beacons that directly signal emergency services, rather than emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRB).
He referred to the capsizing of the Rambler 100 yacht in the Fastnet Race in August, saying that the latter did not go off to alert the coastguard as the boat had not sunk.
http://www.afloat.ie/sail/events/fastnet-race/item/16534-fastnet-yacht-capsizes-off-cork-coast-latest/

Fishermen and farmers make up more than half of all work-related fatalities in Ireland, according to the Minister for the Marine.

As The Irish Times reports, Simon Coveney TD decried it as an "absolute tragedy" in the Dáil. 

He noted the progress being made in encouraging people to wear safety gear when on the water, but said there was "little or no progress in getting fishermen to wear lifejackets”.

"For some reason fishermen seem to think they will never fall in the water," the minister commented.

Cork South West TD Noel Harrington also raised the point of the Department of the Marine's refusal to use personal beacons that directly signal emergency services, rather than emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRB).

He referred to the capsizing of the Rambler 100 yacht in the Fastnet Race in August, saying that the latter did not go off to alert the coastguard as the boat had not sunk.

Published in Water Safety
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11th August 2010

Scottish Lifeboat Launched for Emergency Beacon Alarm

Scottish Lifeboat Launched for Emergency Beacon Alarm

Scotland's Oban RNLI lifeboat, the Mora Edith Macdonald, was called out at twenty past midnight last night in response to an EPIRB alarm.

The EPIRB, Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, was swiftly traced by the lifeboat direction finding equipment to an un-attended 45ft ketch on a mooring at Oban Marina.

The lifeboat crew, accompanied by a police officer, cut the padlock to gain access to the vessel and found the offending beacon in a locker in the forward cabin.

It proved impossible to switch off the device due to a faulty switch and the crew were forced to dismantle the unit in order to disconnect the battery.

The lifeboat was re-fuelled and ready for service at two minutes to one in the morning.

In the case of 406 MHz beacons which transmit digital signals, the beacons can be uniquely identified almost instantly and furthermore, a GPS or GLONASS position can be encoded into the signal, which provides instantaneous identification of the registered user and its location.

Frequently, by using the initial position provided via the satellite system, SAR aircraft and ground search parties can home in on the distress signals from the beacons and come to the aid of the concerned boat, aircraft, or people.

Related Safety posts

RNLI Lifeboats in Ireland

Safety News

Rescue News from RNLI Lifeboats in Ireland

Coast Guard News from Ireland

Water Safety News from Ireland

Marine Casualty Investigation Board News

Marine Warnings

Published in RNLI Lifeboats
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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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