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#LegenderryPort160 – Following another successful Legenderry Maritime Festival which culminated with a send-off farewell of Clipper Race yachts at the Parade of Sail on Sunday, the host port also celebrated their 160th anniversary.

Bonnie Anley, the new chairman of Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners commented on her delight having joined the commissioners in their 160th year. "In 1854, the Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners were set up to address the challenges facing a port city which wanted to expand its trading connections".

She added, "Over the past 160 years the port has played a vital role in the life of the city, from transatlantic trade and emigration, to WWII and the modern era.

The north-west port in the present day is a major economic driver for the region and handle over £1 billion worth of commodities per annum, with over 1000 associated jobs.

In 2013, the port had a a record year, with an increase of 27% in shipping. Furthermore, the port which is mostly centred at Lisahally on the east side of Lough Foyle, has acted as a hub for developing industries such as the renewable energy sector.

"We also play a key role in the development of marine leisure and cruise tourism, berthing cruise liners at Lisahally and Greencastle and running Foyle Port Marina to attract sailing and boating crews to the city".

"Providing the marine expertise to manage the arrival and departure of the Clipper Race fleet is a big part of this, and we've just finished a 40 metre extension to the Marina"

It's fantastic that the Foyle is attracting such high profile marine activity", concluded Chairman Bonnie Anley.

The commissioners are the Conservancy Authority for Lough Foyle between the harbour limits from Craigavon Bridge in the city to a line between Magilligan Point and Greencastle in Co. Donegal.

Between these locations is also where a car-ferry service is operated by the Lough Foyle Ferry Company.

 

Published in Ports & Shipping

#CruiseNorthWest – Polar cruiseship Fram, a Norwegian-flagged 418 passenger vessel operated by Hurtigruten, became the first visitor this season having docked in Londonderry today, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Fram which has a rather stout looking appearance measuring 114m long, had arrived from Stornoway, Isle of Lewis of the Outer Hebrides. She also presents a striking livery with her black hull separated from her white superstructure by a bold red band.

This colour scheme applies to her fleetmates that are not cruiseships but are essentially multi-purpose vessels that perform the role of carferry, cruiseship and cargo-carrying that 'Hurtigruten' operate daily sailings between Bergen and Kirkenes beyond the Arctic Circle and close to the Russian border.

Fram represents the cruise industry sector to the north-west port which is to welcome a further four callers this season. She is the only cruiseship to berth along the quays of Londonderry, where she docked at the city centre berth.

Two medium sized cruiseships, Delphin and Seabourn Legend are to berth downriver at Lisahally on the east side of Lough Foyle, while on the west coast, off Greencastle, Co. Donegal, the larger Adonia and Crystal Symphony are to make anchorage calls.

Since 1995, Londonderry Port has opened up for business in attracting cruiseships, and among this year's operators are P&O Cruises and Seabourn.

In total more than 4,000 passengers and crew are to visit the city which has hosted in recent years prestigious sailing events,  maritime festivals and the high-profile Derry-Londonderry European City of Culture in 2013. This year the city looks forward to Music City 2014.

 

Published in Cruise Liners
7th October 2009

Londonderry Port and Harbour

Londonderry Port and Harbour

aerial2.jpgLondonderry Port is a vibrant and rapidly developing port located in the North West of Ireland. It is a deep water port which is capable of dealing with a full range of customers’ requirements, including our specialist capability in handling bulk cargo.

At Londonderry Port we recognise that one of our unique selling points is our ability to meet the specific needs of each customer. The ability to tailor our arrangements brings a large degree of flexibility and innovation to our business. By doing this, LPHC has developed a strong reputation in the market for delivering on our commitments to our customers.

Our goal is to be the port of first choice for our existing and future customers. We also work hard to address the needs of others who have a stake in our business, such as employees, local authorities, the community and the Government.

 

About Us

Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners manage, maintain and administer the port for the benefit of our stakeholders by placing a strong emphasis on sustainability, and re-investing our profit for growth to benefit future generations. As part of LPHC’s core functions we serve the entire region and promote economic growth and stability – importing over £500m worth of goods into the region last year. LPHC provides a key part of the region’s public infrastructure offering port and marine services to meet our customers’ businesses need.

 

Our beliefs

The Port has always recognised that it is a service to our customers and must provide fast, efficient operations to meet our clients’ needs. In the last five years LPHC has developed a new fertiliser blending plant and a new oil terminal facility in conjunction with new and existing customers.

 

Who we support

LPHC actively supports community and economic entrepreneurship in this area, by mentoring and sponsorship of key enterprise and community projects through our work with Business in the Community. Our mentoring support for projects such as the Playhouse Activity Centre, Beautiful Day Bridal, Blueberries Pine helped develop the businesses in the right direction. This has been recognised by BITCNI with an award for supporting economic growth in Northern Ireland. 

Find us here

(Details courtesy of Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners) 

 

Londonderry Port and Harbour  Londonderry Port & Harbour Commissioners, Port Road, Lisahally, Londonderry BT47 6FL. Tel: +044 (0)28 7186 0555, fax: +044 (0)28 7186 1168, email: [email protected]

Published in Irish Ports

Dun Laoghaire Harbour Information

Dun Laoghaire Harbour is the second port for Dublin and is located on the south shore of Dublin Bay. Marine uses for this 200-year-old man-made harbour have changed over its lifetime. Originally built as a port of refuge for sailing ships entering the narrow channel at Dublin Port, the harbour has had a continuous ferry link with Wales, and this was the principal activity of the harbour until the service stopped in 2015. In all this time, however, one thing has remained constant, and that is the popularity of sailing and boating from the port, making it Ireland's marine leisure capital with a harbour fleet of between 1,200 -1,600 pleasure craft based at the country's largest marina (800 berths) and its four waterfront yacht clubs.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour Bye-Laws

Download the bye-laws on this link here

FAQs

A live stream Dublin Bay webcam showing Dun Laoghaire Harbour entrance and East Pier is here

Dun Laoghaire is a Dublin suburb situated on the south side of Dublin Bay, approximately, 15km from Dublin city centre.

The east and west piers of the harbour are each of 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) long.

The harbour entrance is 232 metres (761 ft) across from East to West Pier.

  • Public Boatyard
  • Public slipway
  • Public Marina

23 clubs, 14 activity providers and eight state-related organisations operate from Dun Laoghaire Harbour that facilitates a full range of sports - Sailing, Rowing, Diving, Windsurfing, Angling, Canoeing, Swimming, Triathlon, Powerboating, Kayaking and Paddleboarding. Participants include members of the public, club members, tourists, disabled, disadvantaged, event competitors, schools, youth groups and college students.

  • Commissioners of Irish Lights
  • Dun Laoghaire Marina
  • MGM Boats & Boatyard
  • Coastguard
  • Naval Service Reserve
  • Royal National Lifeboat Institution
  • Marine Activity Centre
  • Rowing clubs
  • Yachting and Sailing Clubs
  • Sailing Schools
  • Irish Olympic Sailing Team
  • Chandlery & Boat Supply Stores

The east and west granite-built piers of Dun Laoghaire harbour are each of one kilometre (0.62 mi) long and enclose an area of 250 acres (1.0 km2) with the harbour entrance being 232 metres (761 ft) in width.

In 2018, the ownership of the great granite was transferred in its entirety to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council who now operate and manage the harbour. Prior to that, the harbour was operated by The Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, a state company, dissolved in 2018 under the Ports Act.

  • 1817 - Construction of the East Pier to a design by John Rennie began in 1817 with Earl Whitworth Lord Lieutenant of Ireland laying the first stone.
  • 1820 - Rennie had concerns a single pier would be subject to silting, and by 1820 gained support for the construction of the West pier to begin shortly afterwards. When King George IV left Ireland from the harbour in 1820, Dunleary was renamed Kingstown, a name that was to remain in use for nearly 100 years. The harbour was named the Royal Harbour of George the Fourth which seems not to have remained for so long.
  • 1824 - saw over 3,000 boats shelter in the partially completed harbour, but it also saw the beginning of operations off the North Wall which alleviated many of the issues ships were having accessing Dublin Port.
  • 1826 - Kingstown harbour gained the important mail packet service which at the time was under the stewardship of the Admiralty with a wharf completed on the East Pier in the following year. The service was transferred from Howth whose harbour had suffered from silting and the need for frequent dredging.
  • 1831 - Royal Irish Yacht Club founded
  • 1837 - saw the creation of Victoria Wharf, since renamed St. Michael's Wharf with the D&KR extended and a new terminus created convenient to the wharf.[8] The extended line had cut a chord across the old harbour with the landward pool so created later filled in.
  • 1838 - Royal St George Yacht Club founded
  • 1842 - By this time the largest man-made harbour in Western Europe had been completed with the construction of the East Pier lighthouse.
  • 1855 - The harbour was further enhanced by the completion of Traders Wharf in 1855 and Carlisle Pier in 1856. The mid-1850s also saw the completion of the West Pier lighthouse. The railway was connected to Bray in 1856
  • 1871 - National Yacht Club founded
  • 1884 - Dublin Bay Sailing Club founded
  • 1918 - The Mailboat, “The RMS Leinster” sailed out of Dún Laoghaire with 685 people on board. 22 were post office workers sorting the mail; 70 were crew and the vast majority of the passengers were soldiers returning to the battlefields of World War I. The ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat near the Kish lighthouse killing many of those onboard.
  • 1920 - Kingstown reverted to the name Dún Laoghaire in 1920 and in 1924 the harbour was officially renamed "Dun Laoghaire Harbour"
  • 1944 - a diaphone fog signal was installed at the East Pier
  • 1965 - Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club founded
  • 1968 - The East Pier lighthouse station switched from vapourised paraffin to electricity, and became unmanned. The new candle-power was 226,000
  • 1977- A flying boat landed in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, one of the most unusual visitors
  • 1978 - Irish National Sailing School founded
  • 1934 - saw the Dublin and Kingstown Railway begin operations from their terminus at Westland Row to a terminus at the West Pier which began at the old harbour
  • 2001 - Dun Laoghaire Marina opens with 500 berths
  • 2015 - Ferry services cease bringing to an end a 200-year continuous link with Wales.
  • 2017- Bicentenary celebrations and time capsule laid.
  • 2018 - Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company dissolved, the harbour is transferred into the hands of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council

From East pier to West Pier the waterfront clubs are:

  • National Yacht Club. Read latest NYC news here
  • Royal St. George Yacht Club. Read latest RSTGYC news here
  • Royal Irish Yacht Club. Read latest RIYC news here
  • Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club. Read latest DMYC news here

 

The umbrella organisation that organises weekly racing in summer and winter on Dublin Bay for all the yacht clubs is Dublin Bay Sailing Club. It has no clubhouse of its own but operates through the clubs with two x Committee vessels and a starters hut on the West Pier. Read the latest DBSC news here.

The sailing community is a key stakeholder in Dún Laoghaire. The clubs attract many visitors from home and abroad and attract major international sailing events to the harbour.

 

Dun Laoghaire Regatta

Dun Laoghaire's biennial town regatta was started in 2005 as a joint cooperation by the town's major yacht clubs. It was an immediate success and is now in its eighth edition and has become Ireland's biggest sailing event. The combined club's regatta is held in the first week of July.

  • Attracts 500 boats and more from overseas and around the country
  • Four-day championship involving 2,500 sailors with supporting family and friends
  • Economic study carried out by the Irish Marine Federation estimated the economic value of the 2009 Regatta at €2.5 million

The dates for the 2021 edition of Ireland's biggest sailing event on Dublin Bay is: 8-11 July 2021. More details here

Dun Laoghaire-Dingle Offshore Race

The biennial Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race is a 320-miles race down the East coast of Ireland, across the south coast and into Dingle harbour in County Kerry. The latest news on the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race can be found by clicking on the link here. The race is organised by the National Yacht Club.

The 2021 Race will start from the National Yacht Club on Wednesday 9th, June 2021.

Round Ireland Yacht Race

This is a Wicklow Sailing Club race but in 2013 the Garden County Club made an arrangement that sees see entries berthed at the RIYC in Dun Laoghaire Harbour for scrutineering prior to the biennial 704–mile race start off Wicklow harbour. Larger boats have been unable to berth in the confines of Wicklow harbour, a factor WSC believes has restricted the growth of the Round Ireland fleet. 'It means we can now encourage larger boats that have shown an interest in competing but we have been unable to cater for in Wicklow' harbour, WSC Commodore Peter Shearer told Afloat.ie here. The race also holds a pre-ace launch party at the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

Laser Masters World Championship 2018

  • 301 boats from 25 nations

Laser Radial World Championship 2016

  • 436 competitors from 48 nations

ISAF Youth Worlds 2012

  • The Youth Olympics of Sailing run on behalf of World Sailing in 2012.
  • Two-week event attracting 61 nations, 255 boats, 450 volunteers.
  • Generated 9,000 bed nights and valued at €9 million to the local economy.

The Harbour Police are authorised by the company to police the harbour and to enforce and implement bye-laws within the harbour, and all regulations made by the company in relation to the harbour.

There are four ship/ferry berths in Dun Laoghaire:

  • No 1 berth (East Pier)
  • No 2 berth (east side of Carlisle Pier)
  • No 3 berth (west side of Carlisle Pier)
  • No 4 berth  (St, Michaels Wharf)

Berthing facilities for smaller craft exist in the town's 800-berth marina and on swinging moorings.

© Afloat 2020