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The call is now open for Marine Institute SMART Research Vessel Bursaries 2021 — but applicants must act fast, as the closing date for the first survey is this coming Tuesday 2 February.

This year up to 20 bursaries are being offered on dedicated FEAS surveys, where successful applicants for the Student at Sea Bursary (fixed at €95 per survey night) will be mentored by experienced marine scientists and research leaders as they develop core offshore data collection skills.

As with last year’s bursaries call, applicants should be marine-oriented graduates, postgraduates, researchers or practitioners in marine-oriented enterprises.

Surveys with bursaries include the second and third legs of the Irish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey (20 February-4 March and 10-24 April respectively), Western Edge Small Pelagics Acoustic Survey (9 June-20 July), Celtic Sea Herring Acoustic Survey (8-28 October) and Irish Groundfish Survey (29 October-14 December).

To read more about these opportunities, including how to apply please, see the SMART website HERE.

Published in Marine Science

The Marine Institute in collaboration with the Strategic Marine Alliance for Research and Training (SMART) is offering 22 bursaries on dedicated FEAS surveys throughout 2020 on the RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager.

Bursaries include groundfish, acoustic and underwater TV surveys (UWTV) on 13 survey legs between February and December of this year on the shelf waters of the Irish EEZ.

Successful applicants will receive a Student at Sea Bursary at a fixed rate of €95 per survey night.

Participants will receive hands-on training in data collection and sampling techniques, be fully integrated into the survey work programme and make an important contribution to achieving the survey goals for marine science.

In so doing they will gain valuable sea going experience and assist the Marine Institute in building the necessary capacity for offshore research and monitoring.

Applicants should be marine-oriented graduates, postgraduates, researchers or practitioners in marine-oriented enterprises. They must hold current ENG11 medical and Personal Survival Techniques (PST STCW95) certificates, and should have some prior sea-going experience.

Further information on the available bursaries can be found on the SMART website, which also has details of the online application process.

Published in Marine Science

#MarineScience - The call for applicants to take part in Training Through Research Surveys (TTRS) is now open to graduate and postgraduate students from across Ireland.

TTRS is a collaboration between the Strategic Marine Alliance for Research & Training (SMART) and the Marine Institute, which aims to increase national capacity in offshore marine research by providing placements on a range of dedicated research surveys.

TTRS surveys give students the opportunity to develop their careers in ocean science and gain hands-on research experience on board the Marine Institute’s research vessels, RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager.

Students can develop the skills required to work at sea including using advanced and up-to-date equipment and instrumentation as well as collecting and handling data.

Taking part in a TTRS survey enables students to establish new professional contacts with experienced scientists and researchers, as well as make a real contribution to the survey goals.

This year’s TTRS surveys are as follows:

To take part in a TTRS survey, visit the Smart Sea School website and complete an online application form. To read previous participants' experience of TTRS, visit the SMART blog.

Applicants for Training Through Research Surveys:

  • must hold a degree in marine-related science or technology or be in the final year of their undergraduate programme.
  • must hold a valid ENG11 medical certificate and a Personal Survival Techniques (PST) certificate (STCW95).
  • should have some prior seagoing experience.

Please note that ENG11 medical certificates must be renewed every two years and PST certification renewed every five years.

Information on obtaining medical and sea-survival certificates, and check lists for scientists embarking on national research vessels is available from the Vessel User Information page on the Marine Institute website.

TTRS participants are responsible for costs incurred in travelling to and from survey ports. For queries please contact [email protected].

TTRS surveys are supported by the Marine Institute. Grant-aided ship time is carried out under the Strategic Marine Research & Innovation Agenda of the Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland (Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth) under the Marine Research sub-programme of the Irish Government.

Participation in surveys is by kind agreement with the survey chief scientist. Applications are invited from graduate and postgraduate students of Ireland of Ireland higher education institutions.

Published in Marine Science

#MarineScience - The SMARTSkills 2013 Postgraduate Workshop on Research Funding Opportunities and Marine Data Access will be held on the 24 and 25 October 2013 hosted by the Marine Institute in Oranmore, Galway.

The two-day workshop is organised by the Strategic Marine Alliance for Research and Training (SMART) and is sponsored by Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), and aims to support postgraduate researchers by providing practical, concise information on accessing research funding and marine data sets, two topics identified as essential for emerging marine researchers.

Day one of the workshop will focus on funding mechanisms, researcher mobility, careers and access to infrastructure and training.

Speakers are drawn from a wide range of scholarship and research organisations including the Higher Education Authority, Erasmus Mundus, AquaTT, Science Foundation Ireland, Irish University Association, Enterprise Ireland, Marie Curie, Euraxess, European Research Council and UCD Innovation Academy, along with a number of research funding programmes including Horizon 2020 and Interreg V.

The second day will address how to access and mine the huge variety of marine biological, oceanographic, environmental and ocean energy-related datasets and model outputs available.

National and International marine data experts will present on online data portals and datasets including SeaDataNet, My Ocean, PlanktonNet, EMODNet, INFOMAR, MIDA, ICAN and ICES. The topic of data management will also be examined with a focus on formatting, metadata and archiving data.

SMARTSkills will also serve as a networking and social opportunity and facilitate marine researchers in communicating their research with potential future collaborations. All attendees are therefore also requested to give a two-minute flash presentation on their research.

The workshop is open to all postgraduate students of marine science, technology and engineering from across the island of Ireland.

The SMART postgraduate workshop is free to students from all member institutes. A registration fee of €75 is payable by students from institutes not involved with the SMART consortium, although some scholarships are available.

SMART partners include: Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT); Galway Mayo Institute of technology (GMIT); Marine Institute (MI); NUI Galway (NUIG); University College Cork (UCC) and University of Ulster (UU).

All prospective attendees register online before tomorrow Friday 18 October. Registration and further information is available HERE. For any further queries contact the SMART team at [email protected].

Published in Marine Science

#MarineScience - Suitable candidates in the marine science field are invited to apply for the accredited continuous professional development module (CPD) titled Applied Marine Biological Sampling and Data Collection

The module will take place from 30 September to 25 October 2013 and is offered by Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) and the Strategic Marine Alliance for Research and Training (SMART).

Applied Marine Biological Sampling and Data Collection aims to provide attendees with the detailed practical knowledge and skills necessary to design and implement biological sampling and data collection campaigns on marine commercial platforms.

The module is aimed at postgraduate students of marine science and marine industry personnel.  

Four days of ship-time sampling and data collection onboard the RV Celtic Voyager and the IWDG's Celtic Mist off Cork and in the Shannon Estuary respectively are supported by three days of intensive laboratory practicals and lectures in GMIT.  

  1. onboard, at practicals and lectures is required from 7-13 October with all other elements accomplished through student-centred distance learning.   

Themes addressed include quantitative sampling of fisheries and benthos; surveying and monitoring methodologies for cetaceans and seabirds; tissue sampling and preservation; and oceanographic data collection and sampling.  

Completion of the module results in an award of 5 credits at NFQ level 9 under the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).   
 
The Strategic Marine Alliance for Research and Training (SMART) is a marine science partnership programme designed to further develop capacity in carrying out offshore operations on board research vessels for third level students of marine-related science and technologies.

This strategic collaborative inter-institutional programme is led and funded by Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the Marine Institute, and is also supported by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

The online application forms is available HERE or my e-mailing [email protected]. Further details on the course and its instructors is included in a PDF available to read or download HERE.

Published in Marine Science

#MARINE SCIENCE - The Strategic Marine Alliance for Research and Training (SMART) has opened the call for applications for Science@Sea research vessel-based training courses aimed at students of marine-related sciences

Science@Sea courses have been running since 2008 and are recognised by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) as a means of contributing towards a student’s professional development and career.    

The two-day training courses will be held between 7 and 12 November 2012 in waters off Cork and will offer students the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience onboard the national research vessel RV Celtic Voyager.

"Science@Sea is unique in that it gives students of marine related sciences a complete guide to working at sea," said SMART national co-ordinator Dr Paulha McGrane. "This not only increases national capacity in carrying out research survey operations but provides graduates with a competitive edge on the national and international jobs market.”

Dr McGrane explained that Science@Sea focuses on practical, cross-disciplinary skills such as sample collection and processing, operation of equipment and instrumentation, and data acquisition and processing.

"Other areas we look at, which are essential to working at sea, include survey design and planning, safety at sea, and post-survey analysis and assessment. To date, students who have participated in Science@Sea have found the course of enormous benefit in securing employment."

Course dates are as follows:

  • Postgraduates: 7-8 November 2012
  • Undergraduates 1: 9-10 November 2012
  • Undergraduates 2: 11-12 November 2012

Applications for Science@Sea and posters advertising the course are available online HERE. Completed applications should be received no later than Friday 5 October 2012.

Please note an administration fee of €50 applies and participants are liable for their own transportation and accommodation costs in Cork. For queries relating to any aspect of the course, contact [email protected]

Science@Sea is provided by SMART, a marine science partnership programme that provides quality offshore training for students of marine science, technology and engineering. The programme is carried out under the Sea Change strategy with the support of the Marine Institute and the Marine Research Sub-programme of the National Development Plan 2007–2013. Core partners include the National University of Ireland, Galway; University College Cork; Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology; Cork Institute of Technology; the National Maritime College; and the Marine Institute; with additional funding by the Higher Education Authority.

Published in Marine Science

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.