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Displaying items by tag: Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA)

#Oil&Gas - The public consultation on the first stage of environmental assessment for developing an oil and gas licensing framework in Northern Ireland's inland waters continues till next Friday 14 June.

The 'Scoping Report' was issued on 24 April last by Northern Ireland's Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) and marks the first step of the EU-mandated Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process.

The current consultation seeks comments on the appropriateness of the proposed scope of the SEA and the proposed assessment methodology.

Anti-fracking campaigners Good Energies Alliance Ireland (GEAI) argue that any future oil and gas exploration or extraction in Belfast Lough or Larne Lough would include horizontal drilling and franking.

With one week left to go, GEAI is among those urging the public to have their say in the consultation, citing the 1,300 submissions received by the EPA that the group claims it encouraged on a proposed franking research study.

Northern Ireland has four existing petroleum licences across three main areas of exploration in Antrim, Fermanagh and Derry.

Published in Inland Waterways
# DUBLIN PORT-The future plans of Dublin Port over the next three decades, was unveiled with the publication of the an ambitious €500m draft masterplan yesterday, and will be on display to the public, starting from today.
Viewing of draft masterplan will be made accessible to the public at the Port Centre premises on Alexandra Road and will run for a month, closing on 2nd December. The opportunity is also to facilitate the public to make supplementary submissions of the draft masterplan and the carrying out of the Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA).

Prior to the launch of the draft masterplan, Dublin Port Company undertook an eight-week consultation process up to May this year, which involved community briefings and meetings from a wide range of stakeholders including business representatives, associations, state agencies, customers and local community groups. Over 220 responses were received to form the 'draft' which is now ready for the current viewing.

Once supplementary submissions are reviewed, the 'final' Masterplan will be prepared and published in early 2012 and will form a framework for future developments at Dublin Port.

Eamonn O'Reilly, CEO of Dublin Port Company said: "It's clear from the 220 responses received during the first phase of the masterplan consultation process that people care deeply about the important role Dublin Port has to play in the future development of our economy and this city".

He added, "It's important, therefore, that all our stakeholders take this final opportunity to view and input on the masterplan. From Customers, exporters and local residents to public bodies, city planners and tourist organisations, everyone's contribution is necessary to help create a shared vision and lasting legacy for Dublin Port."

To view the masterplan, viewing hours are weekdays starting today and running to Friday, 2nd December 2011 from 9.00hrs-17.00hrs at Dublin Port Company, Port Centre, Alexandra Road, Dublin 1.

Interested parties are invited to make supplementary observations on the draft masterplan in writing no later than Friday, 9th December 2011 to: The Masterplan Consultation, Dublin Port Company, Port Centre, Alexandra Road, Dublin 1. For further information including a PDF downloadable version of the draft masterplan and SEA, click HERE.

Published in Dublin Port

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