#MarineNotice - Marine Notice No 4 of 2016 advises of the risks inherent in the use of unlicensed electronic navigation systems and cautions against their use.

Unlicensed software and electronic charts may contain errors, resulting in inaccuracies in displayed information and indicated vessel position. Such unlicensed software should not be used for navigation purposes.

Vessel operators are reminded of the requirement to carry suitable nautical instruments and adequate and up-to-date charts for their intended voyages. All equipment fitted in compliance with shipborne navigational equipment regulations should be type approved.

The installation and use of unlicensed navigational systems and software on-board commercial vessels may invalidate a vessel’s certification and may also lead to the cancelation of a vessel’s certificates.

If in doubt, vessel owners/operators should confirm with their suppliers that their software is up to date and licensed.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advise that the Government has made an order under the Sea and Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 prescribing straight baselines from Malin Head to Carnsore Point.

The new order has been made following the resurvey of the 50 basepoints used in the 1959 system of straight baselines, employing modern geodetic surveying techniques.

The position of each basepoint is now recorded in co-ordinates of latitude and longitude accurate to five decimal places on the World Geodetic System 84 (WGS 84) datum.

This new order replaces the Maritime Jurisdiction (Straight Baselines) Order 1959 and comes into operation on 1 February 2016, though there is no change to the straight baselines system itself.

Full details of relevant co-ordinates are included in Marine Notice No 3 of 2016, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has advise it has been informed that Kannad Marine, the manufacturer of Kannad SAFELINK EPIRBS, have issued a Global Recall Safety Notice of the following affected EPIRB units:

Part No.’s Affected Description Date Range
K1202311 EPIRB SAFELINK Manual+ GPS All
K1202367 EPIRB SAFELINK Auto GPS All

Full notice downloaadable below

#MarineNotice - The first Marine Notice of 2016 from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) is deploying 10 Ocean Bottom Seismometers for a period of seven months off the North West Coast of Ireland.

The OBS units will be deployed from the Marine Institute vessel RV Celtic Voyager between 13 and 22 January. They will be free-falled to the bottom and anchored by a 400kg clump weight.

The OBS units in shallow water will have a yellow surface marker buoy and a yellow flashing light with the following characteristics: FL (5) Y 20s and with a range of 2 nautical miles.

Station 1 will be located close to the M4 Weather Buoy which is the subject of a prior marine notice (No 11 of 2007).

As this is sensitive scientific equipment, it is requested that fisherman and marine operators engaged in such activities as bottom trawling or laying of static gear avoid the locations concerned to avoid damaging the equipment or damaging fishing gear.

Full co-ordinates of the OBS locations are included in Marine Notice No 1 of 2016, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that a Marine Institute monkfish and megrim trawl survey will be carried out off the west and southwest coasts of Ireland between 4 and 24 January 2016.

The survey consists of a maximum of 70 fishing stations of one-hour duration each in ICES (International Council for Exploration of the Sea) areas VIIb, c,g, h,j.

Approximate positions for these hauls are given in Figure 1 and Table 1 included in Marine Notice No 52 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

Bottom trawling will take place within a 3-nautical0mile radius of these locations.

The survey will be conducted by the RV Celtic Explorer (Callsign: EIGB). The vessel will display all appropriate lights and signal during the survey and will also be listening on VHF Channel 16.

She will be towing a commercial monkfish demersal trawl during fishing operations. The Marine Institute would request commercial fishermen to keep a 3-nautical-mile area around the tow points clear of all commercial gear during the period.

While there is no statutory provision for the loss of fishing gear, the Marine Institute will make every effort to avoid gear adequately marked according to legislation (Articles 9-17 of EU Regulation 404-2011) that may have drifted into the notified areas.

In the event that a fisherman has static gear or other obstructions within 3 nautical miles of the points listed above, it is the responsibility of the owner to notify the survey managers or vessel directly via the following contacts:

• Aodhan Fitzgerald, Marine Institute: 087 248 8765
• Hans Gerritsen: [email protected]

#MarineNotice - Marine Notice No 50 of 2015 advises that dredging and cathodic protection works have commenced this week, weather permitting, at An Daingean Fishery Harbour Centre in Co Kerry.

The dredging works involve the removal of an existing disused slipway and dredging of the seabed material within the vicinity of the slipway in the eastern basin.

The cathodic protection works involves the installation, commission and testing of a cathodic protection system, along 209m of sheet pile wall on the east side of the main pier.

The dredging works are being advanced by a marine contractor working from two barges, 30x11m and 30x17m in size respectively, using heavy civil engineering plant and machinery, work vessels and platforms. Divers will be employed on-site to install anodes to the sheet piles on the east side of the main pier.

For safety reasons, mariners are requested to proceed slowly and with caution in the eastern basin and berthing on the east side of the main pier of An Daingean Fishery Harbour Centre, and to give the works a wide berth. Wave-wash from vessels should be avoided.

These works are expected to be ongoing until end of January 2016, weather permitting. For further information, contact An Daingean Harbourmaster’s Office at 066 915 1629.

#MarineNotice - Marine Notice No 47 of 2015 from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that the Defence Forces will conduct live surface-to-air firing practices at the Gormanston Ranges on Tuesday 6 October from 10am to 12 noon.

The danger area comprises the lands of Gormanston Aerodrome and the air and sea areas contained within a radius of 3 nautical miles centred on it, with an additional area contained within a segment centred on the aerodrome and bearing of 015 degrees true, through Mosney Railway Station and 106 degrees true, through Gormanston Railway Station seawards for a distance of 10 nautical miles.

For the periods whilst the range is active, the sea zone within the danger area is excluded to all vessels. A Naval Service patrol vessel will enforce the exclusion zone ‘D1’ as indicated on British Admiralty Chart No 44.

All vessels are advised that they are required to remain outside of the exclusion zone whilst the range is active, and are recommended to carefully monitor the Radio Navigation Warnings that will be broadcast during the firing period.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that ESB International is carrying out a geotechnical survey at the WestWave ocean energy site off the coast of Killard, Co Clare this week.

The survey started Tuesday 22 September and will last between eight and 11 days, weather permitting.

The RV Celtic Voyager (callsign EIQN) is carrying out the work, deploying equipment such as a Vibrocore and a cone penetrometer.

The vessel will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre while carrying out the survey, and all vessels, particularly those engaged in fishing, are requested to give this operation a wide berth and keep a sharp lookout in the relevant areas.

The work vessel will be listening on VHF Channel 16 throughout the project.

Full details of co-ordinates are included in Marine Notice No 46 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - A new Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that the annual Irish groundfish survey will be take place off the northwest coast from 19-30 September.

Carried out by the Marine Institute in fulfilment of Ireland’s CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) obligations, IGFS 2015 is a demersal trawl survey consisting of a minimum of 45 fishing hauls each of 35 minutes duration.

The survey will be conducted by the RV Celtic Explorer (Callsign EIGB), which will display all appropriate lights and signal during the survey and will also be listening on VHF Channel 16. She will be towing a high headline GOV 36/47 demersal trawl during fishing operations.

The Marine Institute requests commercial fishermen to keep a 2-nautical-mile area around the tow points clear of all commercial gear during the period/. While there is no statutory provision for the loss of fishing gear, the Marine Institute will make every effort to avoid gear adequately marked, according to legislation, that may have drifted into the notified areas.

In the event that a fisherman has static gear or other obstructions within 2nm of the points listed in Marine Notice No 43 of 2015, it is the responsibility of the owner to notify the survey managers or vessel directly using the contact information provided.

Full details of the survey area are available as a PDF to read download HERE.

#MarineNotice - Mariners in the waters of Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone are advised to keep watch for debris that may fall into the sea after a pending Soyuz rocket launch between today 11 September and Monday 21 September.

Marine Notice No 42 of 2015 has co-ordinates of the area where parts are expected to fall following the launch of the Soyuz VS12 space rocket from Kourou Spaceport in French Guyana.