The Port of Waterford made history over the weekend as it handled a cargo of a record-breaking scale. The port received a vessel load of 80-metre-long wide-turbine blades, the largest ever in size to be imported to Ireland. The blades were shipped to the port due to its expansive riverside space, ability to handle cargo of exceptional size, and proximity to the motorway network.

The vessel, BBC Citrine 153m, arrived from Turkey with the 80m long blades, which are the longest ever imported to Ireland and are believed to be the longest in the UK. The record-breaking exceptional loads of wind turbine blades were unloaded and are currently being stored at the port. They will then be transported by road to their destination at Cushaling Wind Farm, Co. Offaly.

Port of Waterford CEO David Sinnott said, “Port of Waterford was chosen as it is the only port in Ireland capable of handling these long components. In addition, a second ship arrived with the tower section components for the same project."

The 153m BBC Citrine, alongside at the Port of Waterford, having arrived from Turkey with the 80m long blades

While the Port of Waterford has handled similar cargo in 2023, this is the first time that components of this scale were handled through an Irish Port. Several organizations and teams were involved in the record-breaking project over the weekend, including the Port of Waterford marine, tug and mooring operatives, pilots, and agents, stevedoring cargo handlers South East Port Services & transport operators, Colletts Transport and Celtic Shipping.

Statkraft is developing Cushaling Wind Farm and will mark the first use of the Vestas V162-6.2 MW EnVentus turbines in the Irish market. The nine turbines, which have a tip height of 185 meters and will be the largest on any wind farm in Ireland, will maximize the potential of the local wind energy resource. The nine-turbine development, which will deliver 55.8MW of urgently needed clean renewable energy to the grid, represents a €95 million investment by the company.

The role that national ports will play in the provision of offshore wind energy is a current topic, and this particular project proves the important role that port teams are already providing in the creation of the current onshore wind energy infrastructure.

Port of Waterford is strategically positioned to support the future offshore wind energy sector and has currently proposed a 250m quay extension to further support this work and future growth in the sector while also recently applying for a Marine Area consent (MAC) to the Marine Area Regulatory Authority (MARA).

Belview Port is the centre of operations for the Port of Waterford. The port is served directly by the N29 and the N25, which provide direct connections to the M9 motorway. The port is also served directly by a rail connection, which provides the port with exclusive access to the national rail network.

A dredger was tracked arriving to the Port of Waterford today, following works carried out in UK south coast ferry ports on the English Channel, however this week work is to start along the Waterford Harbour estuary, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The trailing suction hopper dredger Freeway according to the Port of Waterford, is to conduct a maintenance dredging campaign in the vicinity of Belview, Cheekpoint and Duncannon Bar and with the spoil to be disposed at an approved site offshore of Hook Head, Co. Wexford. The scheduled dredging as Afloat reported last week, has been contracted to Cork based Irish Dredging, a subsidiary of Boskalis.

Freeway’s forthcoming dredging work, follows campaigns along the English south coast, where in Portsmouth, Hampshire, the Royal Navy’s main base, along with ferry terminal operations to France, Channel Islands and Spain, is where two vessels along with Freeway carried out surveying and maintenance dredging works within the port’s harbour and channel approaches.

On that occasion, the dredging for Portsmouth Port was contracted to Royal Boskalis Westminster Group which had disposed of the spoil to a designated site offshore to the east of the Isle of Wight.

Following this campaign, the Cypriot flagged Freeway, was also tracked by Afloat last week, as the 2015 built dredger headed to Newhaven in East Sussex, where the yellow hulled, Transmanche Ferries, operated by DFDS, at the start of this year, won a five-year contract to continue running the 'public service' obligation route to Dieppe. The historic ‘London-Paris capitals service’ can be traced to the joint UK-France railway operated route, dating to 1862, which geographically is the most direct between the capitals, which is currently served by Côte d'Albâtre.

Transmanche's twin ferry, Seven Sisters, Afloat tracked down to the Normandy port’s Bassin de Paris where it is in layover period so far for the winter, while DFDS also operate out of other northern French ports, Calais and Dunkirk, both linking Dover. In addition, the Danish operator with an extensive European route network, among them the Dunkirk-Rosslare Europort connection.

The dredging works according to the Newhaven Port Authority were scheduled to take around five days and were completed at the English Channel port (closest to London), on the River Ouse, which involved disposal of spoil to a site south off the port’s breakwater from where Freeway passed when departing on Sunday evening bound for Waterford.

By yesterday evening, the 92m Freeway was offshore of Lizard Point, Cornwall before entering Waterford Harbour today at lunch hour to berth at Belview, downriver of the city.

For further details of the Port’s maintenance dredging campaign, click here.

The Port of Waterford is to have a maintenance dredging campaign start in the week beginning 13 November, with the work to be carried out at three locations along Waterford estuary, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The Cypriot flagged dredger Freeway, will conduct dredging activities in the vicinity of Belview which is the port’s main terminal and at nearby Cheekpoint and further downriver on the Waterford Estuary at Duncannon Bar, close to the Passage-East ferry service.

Disposal of the dredged spoil by the 4,500m³ capacity trailing suction hopper dredger will according to the port take place at an approved site south west of Hook Head, out in the open sea.

Following the completion of dredging, a bed levelling campaign will be carried out by the multi-cat vessel Fastnet Sound which is operated by Fastnet Shipping based in Bilberry, Waterford City.

The vessels will maintain a continuous VHF watch on Channels 14 & 16, and will display regulation shapes and lights as per I.R.P.C.S. All vessels approaching the area of operations should communicate with the vessels on Channel 14 and proceed with caution.

It is expected that the dredging maintenance campaign is to take approximately 25 days to complete and that mariners are reminded of their responsibilities under the International Collision Regulations.

The dredging work has been contracted to Irish Dredging based in Cork which is a subsidiary of Boskalis, a leading global dredging and offshore contractor and maritime services provider.

For more than 50 years Irish Dredging has carried out such work and marine projects and have access to technological support and dredgers for the most part, based in Ireland or the UK, potentially minimising response times and mobilisation costs.

Currently, Afloat has tracked the Freeway which is working off the UK south coast with operations at Portsmouth. 

In addition, Irish Dredging has the use of the Royal Boskalis Westminster fleet of vessels, giving the capability to undertake a wide range of projects.

The Port authorities of Ireland have joined together through the Irish Ports Safety Forum to host and promote the third Irish Port Safety Week from October 23rd to 27th 2023.

The aim of this week is for the port authorities to work collaboratively to highlight and enhance collective safety responsibility and awareness for all port users, with events planned under differing themes throughout the week.

The chair of the Irish Ports Safety Forum, John Carlton said, “This week is an opportunity for the port authorities and their stakeholders to promote a culture of safety in the workplace with the objective of improving safety and performance in the port sector, share experiences and knowledge in order to drive continual improvement in eliminating accidents at work. Events organised across the ports will be open to all port stakeholders and the participating ports are inviting and encouraging as many people as possible to get involved with the objective of improving the safety and welfare of all port workers.”

The Irish Port Safety Week dates of 2023 have been selected to follow European Safety Week. All ports nationally have been invited to participate in the national safety week with different collaborative events taking place at each port daily.

The themes of the Irish Port Safety Week include the Awareness of Port Golden Rules, Class 3 PPE, Emergency Response, Traffic Management, Employee Wellness, Water Safety and Safe and Healthy Work in the Digital Age, which is the overall theme of European Safety Week.

Commenting on the upcoming health and safety events, CEO at Port of Waterford David Sinnott says, “The health and safety of all Aort users is paramount, and the events planned for this week serve to create greater awareness and to enhance skills and competencies to ensure a safer work environment for all.”

CEO at Port of Waterford David Sinnott

The IPSF is delighted to have the support of the H.S.A. (Health and Safety Authority) for Irish Port Safety Week. The H.S.A. have various guidance and advice available to Port stakeholders, and the Irish Port authorities are encouraging all employers and employees in Irish Ports to engage with the relevant support available to them on the H.S.A. website, www.HSA.ie

In addition, the ports will have representations from An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority, Fire Services and the Irish Coast Guard at specific Port events during the week.

You can follow events on the social media sites of the participating ports #irishportsafetyweek.

The construction of a sustainable transport bridge at the Port of Waterford between the North and South Quays was expected to begin on Monday 24 July.

These works will be ongoing until the end of 2024, subject to weather and operational constraints.

Three barges will be in operation during the works: the ACN5, the Ardon and the Skerchi — the latter of which will be relocated at various times during construction. The barges will exhibit a sign that reads “Warning – Marine Works – KEEP AWAY”.

Barge masters will maintain a continuous VHF watch on Channels 6 and 16. A safety boat will be always in attendance with the barges during construction works.

All vessels approaching the area of operations should communicate with the barges on VHF Channel 6 and proceed with caution, giving them a wide berth where possible.

The channel will remain navigable between Pier C and Pier D but temporary navigation lights will be established. The existing red lights on the east and west ends of the clock tower pontoon will be replaced by yellow lights.

In addition, to facilitate the works the pontoon at the clock tower will be partially dismantled and is no longer available for use.

Coordinates and a map of the work area as well as contact details can be found in Marine Notice No 51 of 2023, attached below.

The board of directors at the Port of Waterford has announced the appointment of Mr John Treacy as the Chair of the Company from May 2nd 2023.

John joins the board following a recruitment process and the completion of his role as voluntary chair of the board of Concern Worldwide alongside his role as Chief Executive at Sport Ireland where he provided a strategic leadership role in the further development of Sport Ireland and bringing to fruition a variety of projects for the organisation. Prior to his role at Sport Ireland, John was also Chief Executive at the Irish Sports Council and during the period of his training for the LA Olympic Games, he also worked with the Irish Export Board. John will bring his vast leadership experience and his skills in strategic development, change management and governance to his role at the Port of Waterford company.

Welcoming John to the role, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD says, “The Port of Waterford is the most important Load-On Load-Off (Lo-Lo ) port in the Southeast, and I was delighted to appoint John Treacy as Chairperson of the Company. The Port enjoys excellent connectivity to both the national road and rail networks and I know that John will bring his skills to bear in furthering the sustainable growth of the Company.

It is important that all of our main ports are developed in a sustainable way. Waterford Port is only one of two ports in Ireland with an operating rail freight terminal. The further development of rail freight is a key priority of mine as Minister for Transport and the forthcoming All Island Strategic Rail Review will set an increased ambition for rail freight as a means of addressing congestion and emissions from road haulage over the next 30 years.”

John replaces Des Whelan who completed his term as Chair in late 2022 after 8 successful years guiding the Port to growth and through the development of its Masterplan.

The board is very pleased to welcome John to the team at the Port Company. John joins the Port at a significant time as the Port focuses on the project developments within its 25-year Masterplan to 2044, and throughput is growing year on year.

Chief Executive at the Port David Sinnott says, “We are very pleased to welcome John Treacy as Chair at the Port of Waterford. He is hugely competent and holds a depth of broad-ranging business experience. We know that his addition to the team here at the Port will be a valuable one. We are very much looking forward to working with John to shape the future further and continued growth of the Port of Waterford.”

In accepting the role, John says, “ I am delighted to be appointed by Minister Ryan to chair the Port of Waterford Company. The Southeast is of course very close to my heart and look forward to working with the board and the highly skilled team and further building upon the ambitious future plans for the Port, its community and stakeholders for the entire Southeast region.”

A public consultation is to take place at the Port of Waterford in regards to developing an Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) capable berth located downriver of the city at Belview Port terminal.

As part of the Port of Waterford Ports’ 2020 – 2044 Masterplan, the Port is proposing to develop the (ORE) berth on a 250m downstream extension to the existing quay at Belview Port.

The terminal on the Co. Kilkenny side of the Suir is located 8kms to the east of Waterford City.

The project is at a preliminary design stage and as part of this work, the Port invites all interested stakeholders to take part in a public consultation on Monday 20th February (1600-2000).

The venue will be at the port’s Marine Point (3rd Floor) Office, Belview Port, Waterford, (Postcode: X91 W0XW).

The Port of Waterford has supported the Winterval festival since its inception and this year for the festival’s 10th celebratory year the Port of Waterford is delighted to be announced as the title sponsor for the Port of Waterford Eye.

The attraction is much anticipated at the festival, offering not only a beautiful landmark on the city’s historic quayside but also incredible Birdseye vistas over the twinkling lights of Ireland’s Christmas Festival and the River Suir and city streetscape.

The organisers of the Winterval festival are delighted to welcome the Port aboard as a title sponsor at the festival; Director John Grubb says, “Winterval 2022 is brought to festivalgoers by the people of Waterford with a great deal of support from the Waterford business community. Without that invaluable support, we would not be able to deliver Ireland's best Christmas festival, and we are delighted to have the Port of Waterford support the festival again this year and to even increase their contribution to the festival for this very special 10th anniversary year.”

Brian Moore at Port of Waterford says, “It has always been very important to the Port of Waterford to support the city, its people and our Port community. We are delighted to be involved with Winterval and the iconic attraction that is the Port of Waterford Eye with its positioning overlooking the majestic quayside is very fitting for us at the Port. We wish the festival team every success and we hope that all of the people of Waterford and beyond get to enjoy a Port of Waterford Eye experience for themselves.”

The Winterval Festival opens in Waterford City at 5 pm on Friday, November 18th with fun and festivities on offer for all the family until December 23rd. 

David Sinnott who was appointed as CEO at Port of Waterford in August, has commenced his role at the closest Irish Bulk Port to mainland Europe.

As Afloat reported this summer, the port, headquartered at Belview Port on the River Suir, is in a strong financial position after reporting operating profits in July for the financial year of €1.1 million, up from the €0.7 million recorded in 2020. Turnover was €7.7m (2020: €7.2m) and shareholder’s funds ended the year at €34m.

Bulk throughput in 2021 came in at 1.7 million tonnes, an 11% increase on 2020, while containers handled remained broadly in line with 2020.

As reported previously, the new CEO is originally from Wexford and had been working in Germany for the last ten years for Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH, where he held the role of Vice President of Product Management. He has now returned to the Southeast to take up the role of CEO at the Port of Waterford Company.

Prior to Sinnott’s time at Carl Zeiss Vision he served in several positions for the company in supply chain management. Starting out in materials management at their former manufacturing facility in Wexford, he then spent time as Director of European Supply Chain, before taking a role as Director of Business Integration. Sinnott is from Wexford town and was president of the Wexford Chamber of Commerce in 2002 and 2003.

The Cyprian container vessel CT Rotterdam encountered engine problems whilst off the southeast coast of Wexford yesterday afternoon (October 19th). The vessel is currently being towed by Atlantic Towage's Ocean Challenger to the Port of Waterford’s Belview Port Container Terminal facility.

The vessel had been en route to the Port of Rotterdam, having sailed from Dublin Port laden with a cargo of containers.

This afternoon (October 20th) a Port of Waterford Pilot Boat crew will transfer senior pilot, Michael Griffin, onboard the CT Rotterdam to guide the vessel up river.

A local tug, the Tramontane, operated by South East Tug Services, will assist in the operation.

When asked about the operation, Harbour Master Captain Darren Doyle said, “This incident underlines the importance of the Port of Waterford’s facilities from a national strategic perspective. We were happy to be able to offer assistance to the vessel, thus preventing a potentially higher-risk incident whilst also minimising disruption to the shipping supply chain”.