Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Almost 60 ships

Despite dull skies, a spectacular launch took place at a Dutch shipyard this morning of Arklow Shipping's latest newbuild which increases the fleet total to 58 cargoships, writes Jehan Ashmore

The single-hold newbuild Arklow Cloud, a name used for the first time by the Co. Wicklow shipowners, took to the waters with a splash. Such a sight is routine at Ferus Smit's Westerbroek shipyard, yet is always a sight to behold.

Albeit the launch due to pandemic was executed without ceremony and nor open to the public, however spectators could observe the event from the opposite side of the ‘Winschoterdiep’ canal.

As routine at this side of the canal (in the province Groningen) the road is closed off to traffic and pedestrians as the wash from the ship spills over the roadside and runs off down an embankment.

With a yard newbuild number of NB 430, Arklow Cloud also represents the seventh so far in a series of 10 ships of the 'C' class general cargoships built an the inland yard and to a new design ordered for ASL. The combined fleet including Dutch-flagged tonnage as alludded is just shy of sixty ships operating mostly in Europe but also several bulkers trading globally in deep seas. 

Arklow Cloud has a maximized hold volume of 220.000 cft and a carrying capacity over 5,000 deadweight tons (dwt) yet it still falls under the 3,000 gross tons limit. The ship's single hold within a hull of almost 88m is specified to an 1A ice-class notation.

A bulbless bow design provides for a superior performance when operating between various loading drafts and wave-height conditions

Among the typical cargoes will be the transportation of corn, grain, wheat and other bulk commodities in European waters from where propulsion of the 2,999 grt newbuild will involve a 1,740kW MaK engine with a single ducted propeller.

Likewise of the series in service, Arklow Cloud will be Irish flagged and already displays the homeport of Arklow proudly at the stern from where the tug Waterpoort was on station during the amidships launch.

While another red hulled tug attended the ship's bow complete with customary green hull colour associated with Ireland's only large shipowner.

Published in Arklow Shipping

Arklow Accord is the latest of a new series for ship-owner Arklow Shipping Ltd, however the bulk oriented cargo vessel is also a first for the company to use this ship name, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The launching of newbuild Arklow Accord (Nb. 438) which took place on Friday, represents the second of a six ships using the Arklow 'A' naming scheme. The order by ASL is with shipbuilder Ferus Smit at their Dutch shipyard located in Westerbroek. 

Currently the company have almost 60 vessels including Dutch division Arklow Shipping Nederland B.V. and this milestone is to be exceeded with the roll-out of the Arklow A - series. 

The design of Arklow Accord will see its operations chiefly employed in the shipment of corn, wheat and other bulk commodities in European waters.

The inland yard at Westerbroek, is where Irish flagged leadship Arklow Abbey was also given the customary launched sideways in July and with the newbuild entering service two months later.

According to Ferus Smit, the design is a slightly modified version of the first series of 8600dwt bulkers that the shipyard built under the Arklow B – series. The new design is adapted for iceclass 1A, with modified bow form and propulsion with a propeller nozzle added.

At the same time, the main engine output was decreased to 2000 kW for better fuel efficiency.

Listed below are the basic characteristics of Arklow Accord:
– Loa = 119.495 mtr
– Lpp = 116.895 mtr
– B = 14.99 mtr
– D = 9.70 mtr
– T max = 7.160 mtr
– Hold volume = 350.000 cft

The delivery of the Arklow registered newbuild is due for January 2020.

Published in Arklow Shipping

About Dublin Port 

Dublin Port is Ireland’s largest and busiest port with approximately 17,000 vessel movements per year. As well as being the country’s largest port, Dublin Port has the highest rate of growth and, in the seven years to 2019, total cargo volumes grew by 36.1%.

The vision of Dublin Port Company is to have the required capacity to service the needs of its customers and the wider economy safely, efficiently and sustainably. Dublin Port will integrate with the City by enhancing the natural and built environments. The Port is being developed in line with Masterplan 2040.

Dublin Port Company is currently investing about €277 million on its Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR), which is due to be complete by 2021. The redevelopment will improve the port's capacity for large ships by deepening and lengthening 3km of its 7km of berths. The ABR is part of a €1bn capital programme up to 2028, which will also include initial work on the Dublin Port’s MP2 Project - a major capital development project proposal for works within the existing port lands in the northeastern part of the port.

Dublin Port has also recently secured planning approval for the development of the next phase of its inland port near Dublin Airport. The latest stage of the inland port will include a site with the capacity to store more than 2,000 shipping containers and infrastructures such as an ESB substation, an office building and gantry crane.

Dublin Port Company recently submitted a planning application for a €320 million project that aims to provide significant additional capacity at the facility within the port in order to cope with increases in trade up to 2040. The scheme will see a new roll-on/roll-off jetty built to handle ferries of up to 240 metres in length, as well as the redevelopment of an oil berth into a deep-water container berth.

Dublin Port FAQ

Dublin was little more than a monastic settlement until the Norse invasion in the 8th and 9th centuries when they selected the Liffey Estuary as their point of entry to the country as it provided relatively easy access to the central plains of Ireland. Trading with England and Europe followed which required port facilities, so the development of Dublin Port is inextricably linked to the development of Dublin City, so it is fair to say the origins of the Port go back over one thousand years. As a result, the modern organisation Dublin Port has a long and remarkable history, dating back over 300 years from 1707.

The original Port of Dublin was situated upriver, a few miles from its current location near the modern Civic Offices at Wood Quay and close to Christchurch Cathedral. The Port remained close to that area until the new Custom House opened in the 1790s. In medieval times Dublin shipped cattle hides to Britain and the continent, and the returning ships carried wine, pottery and other goods.

510 acres. The modern Dublin Port is located either side of the River Liffey, out to its mouth. On the north side of the river, the central part (205 hectares or 510 acres) of the Port lies at the end of East Wall and North Wall, from Alexandra Quay.

Dublin Port Company is a State-owned commercial company responsible for operating and developing Dublin Port.

Dublin Port Company is a self-financing, and profitable private limited company wholly-owned by the State, whose business is to manage Dublin Port, Ireland's premier Port. Established as a corporate entity in 1997, Dublin Port Company is responsible for the management, control, operation and development of the Port.

Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny of the Bounty fame) was a visitor to Dublin in 1800, and his visit to the capital had a lasting effect on the Port. Bligh's study of the currents in Dublin Bay provided the basis for the construction of the North Wall. This undertaking led to the growth of Bull Island to its present size.

Yes. Dublin Port is the largest freight and passenger port in Ireland. It handles almost 50% of all trade in the Republic of Ireland.

All cargo handling activities being carried out by private sector companies operating in intensely competitive markets within the Port. Dublin Port Company provides world-class facilities, services, accommodation and lands in the harbour for ships, goods and passengers.

Eamonn O'Reilly is the Dublin Port Chief Executive.

Capt. Michael McKenna is the Dublin Port Harbour Master

In 2019, 1,949,229 people came through the Port.

In 2019, there were 158 cruise liner visits.

In 2019, 9.4 million gross tonnes of exports were handled by Dublin Port.

In 2019, there were 7,898 ship arrivals.

In 2019, there was a gross tonnage of 38.1 million.

In 2019, there were 559,506 tourist vehicles.

There were 98,897 lorries in 2019

Boats can navigate the River Liffey into Dublin by using the navigational guidelines. Find the guidelines on this page here.

VHF channel 12. Commercial vessels using Dublin Port or Dun Laoghaire Port typically have a qualified pilot or certified master with proven local knowledge on board. They "listen out" on VHF channel 12 when in Dublin Port's jurisdiction.

A Dublin Bay webcam showing the south of the Bay at Dun Laoghaire and a distant view of Dublin Port Shipping is here
Dublin Port is creating a distributed museum on its lands in Dublin City.
 A Liffey Tolka Project cycle and pedestrian way is the key to link the elements of this distributed museum together.  The distributed museum starts at the Diving Bell and, over the course of 6.3km, will give Dubliners a real sense of the City, the Port and the Bay.  For visitors, it will be a unique eye-opening stroll and vista through and alongside one of Europe’s busiest ports:  Diving Bell along Sir John Rogerson’s Quay over the Samuel Beckett Bridge, past the Scherzer Bridge and down the North Wall Quay campshire to Berth 18 - 1.2 km.   Liffey Tolka Project - Tree-lined pedestrian and cycle route between the River Liffey and the Tolka Estuary - 1.4 km with a 300-metre spur along Alexandra Road to The Pumphouse (to be completed by Q1 2021) and another 200 metres to The Flour Mill.   Tolka Estuary Greenway - Construction of Phase 1 (1.9 km) starts in December 2020 and will be completed by Spring 2022.  Phase 2 (1.3 km) will be delivered within the following five years.  The Pumphouse is a heritage zone being created as part of the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project.  The first phase of 1.6 acres will be completed in early 2021 and will include historical port equipment and buildings and a large open space for exhibitions and performances.  It will be expanded in a subsequent phase to incorporate the Victorian Graving Dock No. 1 which will be excavated and revealed. 
 The largest component of the distributed museum will be The Flour Mill.  This involves the redevelopment of the former Odlums Flour Mill on Alexandra Road based on a masterplan completed by Grafton Architects to provide a mix of port operational uses, a National Maritime Archive, two 300 seat performance venues, working and studio spaces for artists and exhibition spaces.   The Flour Mill will be developed in stages over the remaining twenty years of Masterplan 2040 alongside major port infrastructure projects.

Source: Dublin Port Company ©Afloat 2020.