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Displaying items by tag: Norwegian fjords

#CruiseLiners - Limitation on speed in the Norwegian World Heritage fjords is one of several measures the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) is considering in order to limit pollution from ships in these areas according to Cruise Europe.

DNV GL carried out a study on the authority’s behalf to assess the effect of a speed reduction, what that speed should be and to quantify the resulting anticipated reduction in emissions.

A study of all cruise and Hurtigruten ships operating in the area between January 2016 to October 2017 resulted in the findings that using a maximum speed of 12, 10 or 8 knots would mean a reduction in total maritime emissions of 10%, 15% and 19% respectively for Geirangerfjord and in the range of 6%, 8% and 10% for Naeroyfjord. The latter lower levels are due to vessels generally maintaining a lower speed here anyway. In the summary it states that “for the collective fleet 8 knots could be an ideal lower speed limit in order to reduce emissions”.

The NMA has now given a recommendation to the Climate and Environment Ministry. Bjorn E Pedersen, head of department legislation and international relations NMA, commented: “We based our recommendation on the DNV GL report. Basically we recommend a maximum speed for ships over 25,000gt in parts of the fjords varying from eight to 12 knots .”

He pointed out that the NMA jurisdiction does not include speed regulations, hence the Coastal Administration will be the authority making the final decision.

Although he thinks it is unlikely that it will come into force this year, he does not believe it will have too great a negative impact. “Our own analysis concludes that the time lost due to a maximum speed of 10 knots will have minimum consequence on the ship schedules.” He added that in meetings with the cruiselines, no concern has been expressed with regard to the proposed speed limitation.

Published in Cruise Liners
28th September 2011

Fram From the Fjords and Beyond

Hurtigruten's polar expediton cruiseship Fram (2007/11,647grt) docked at the Cobh cruise terminal in Cork Harbour today, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The rather stout looking vessel which is 114m long on a beam of 20m was built in Italy to operate primarily as a cruiseship in artic waters. She differs to the rest of her fleetmates which operate Hurtigruten's coastal voyage along the fjords of Norway between Bergin to Kirkenes, near the Russian border.

Fram operates on cruises from Norway to Spitsbergen, Greenland, and Europe. She also cruises in Antarctic waters and explores the Chilean fjords. She can handle 400 passengers in 254 berths. On board there is a reception area, a large top-deck glass-enclosed observation salon positioned forward, bar, restaurant, library, shop and leisure facilities, including gym, sauna and jacuzzi. For further information and deck plans click HERE.

Throughout her interior she has traditional and modern artwork from a selection of Norwegian and Greenlandic artists. To read more on her Antarctic cruises and other destinations click HERE.

On this particular cruise, she had departed from Bergin and called to several Scottish ports prior to berthing in Belfast and docking in Dublin yesterday. This evening she heads for the Isles of Scilly, followed by a call to Portsmouth before disembarking her passengers in Hamburg.

Published in Cruise Liners

Galway Port & Harbour

Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city and port is located on the northeast side of the bay. The bay is about 50 kilometres (31 miles) long and from 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) to 30 kilometres (19 miles) in breadth.

The Aran Islands are to the west across the entrance and there are numerous small islands within the bay.

Galway Port FAQs

Galway was founded in the 13th century by the de Burgo family, and became an important seaport with sailing ships bearing wine imports and exports of fish, hides and wool.

Not as old as previously thought. Galway bay was once a series of lagoons, known as Loch Lurgan, plied by people in log canoes. Ancient tree stumps exposed by storms in 2010 have been dated back about 7,500 years.

It is about 660,000 tonnes as it is a tidal port.

Capt Brian Sheridan, who succeeded his late father, Capt Frank Sheridan

The dock gates open approximately two hours before high water and close at high water subject to ship movements on each tide.

The typical ship sizes are in the region of 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes

Turbines for about 14 wind projects have been imported in recent years, but the tonnage of these cargoes is light. A European industry report calculates that each turbine generates €10 million in locally generated revenue during construction and logistics/transport.

Yes, Iceland has selected Galway as European landing location for international telecommunications cables. Farice, a company wholly owned by the Icelandic Government, currently owns and operates two submarine cables linking Iceland to Northern Europe.

It is "very much a live project", Harbourmaster Capt Sheridan says, and the Port of Galway board is "awaiting the outcome of a Bord Pleanála determination", he says.

90% of the scrap steel is exported to Spain with the balance being shipped to Portugal. Since the pandemic, scrap steel is shipped to the Liverpool where it is either transhipped to larger ships bound for China.

It might look like silage, but in fact, its bales domestic and municipal waste, exported to Denmark where the waste is incinerated, and the heat is used in district heating of homes and schools. It is called RDF or Refuse Derived Fuel and has been exported out of Galway since 2013.

The new ferry is arriving at Galway Bay onboard the cargo ship SVENJA. The vessel is currently on passage to Belem, Brazil before making her way across the Atlantic to Galway.

Two Volvo round world races have selected Galway for the prestigious yacht race route. Some 10,000 people welcomed the boats in during its first stopover in 2009, when a festival was marked by stunning weather. It was also selected for the race finish in 2012. The Volvo has changed its name and is now known as the "Ocean Race". Capt Sheridan says that once port expansion and the re-urbanisation of the docklands is complete, the port will welcome the "ocean race, Clipper race, Tall Ships race, Small Ships Regatta and maybe the America's Cup right into the city centre...".

The pandemic was the reason why Seafest did not go ahead in Cork in 2020. Galway will welcome Seafest back after it calls to Waterford and Limerick, thus having been to all the Port cities.

© Afloat 2020