The first and second leg of 2020’s Irish Anglerfish and Megrim Survey will be carried out from next weekend off the West, South West and South Coasts of Ireland by the Marine Institute, in fulfilment of Ireland’s Common Fisheries Policy obligations.

As with previous years, IAMS 2020 — which will run from Sunday 23 February to Wednesday 18 March — is a demersal trawl survey consisting of approximately 110 otter trawls (60 minutes) in ICES areas 7b, 7c, 7g, 7h, 7j and 7k.

The survey will be conducted by the RV Celtic Explorer (Callsign: EIGB) which will be towing a Jackson demersal trawl during fishing operations and will display appropriate lights and signals.

Commercial fishing and other marine operators are requested to keep a three-nautical-mile radius area around the tow points (indicated below) clear of any gear or apparatus during the survey period outlined above.

Further details of the survey, including co-ordinates of the survey stations, are included in Marine Notice No 07 of 2020, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

The HSE has issued instructions for ships entering Irish ports regarding new protocol in relation to the ongoing Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection crisis.

Masters of vessels entering Irish ports are required to:

• Complete and submit a Maritime Declaration of Health, via the SafeSeasIreland portal, where:
  • A ship has called to China within the past 30 days, or 
  • Crew members or passengers have joined the ship having been in China within the past 14 days, or
  • There is suspected contact with the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), or
  • There is a suspected Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) case on-board

and

• Submit an updated Crew List and, in the case of passenger ships, a Passenger List, via SafeSeasIreland.

This information is required to be submitted whether or not there is a suspected case on-board.

Full details are included in Marine Notice No 06 of 2020, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise all masters of vessels and water users that the lock at Ardnacrusha power plant on the River Shannon will be closed for six weeks from Monday 20 January to Monday 2 March to facilitate essential maintenance works.

The cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways apologises for any inconvenience caused and thanks all vessel owners for their co-operation.

Waterways Ireland marks the New Year with a Special Marine Notice providing general information for boaters and users of Ireland’s inland waterways.

Masters and owners are strongly recommended to check the Waterways Ireland website for general information about the waterways and in particular the Marine Notices section which gives current operational information about the individual navigations such as works in progress, passage restrictions and more.

This Special Marine Notice contains advice and information on water safety, registration of vessels, usage permits and lock passage, berthing details and mooring limits, events taking place on the waterways in 2020, and much more.

The full notice can be found on the Waterways Ireland website HERE.

New limits for Wexford Harbour will be set from next Wednesday 1 January, according to the latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

Transport Minister Shane Ross has signed into law the Harbours Act 1996 (Limits of Wexford Harbour) Order 2019 - SI No 625 of 2019.

The statutory instrument defines the new seaward limit of Wexford town’s harbour as an imaginary line drawn from Raven Point to Rosslare Point, and the inward limit at the southern side of the Old Bridge on the River Slaney in Enniscorthy.

This change was made following consultations with Wexford County Council; the Marine Survey Office; Marine Planning-Foreshore Section of the Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government; Waterways Ireland; and Inland Waterways Association of Ireland.

The Revenue Commissioners will prepare guidance material for their website and update relevant tax and duty manuals in advance of the upcoming ban on the use of green diesel for private pleasure craft, it is understood.

That’s according to the latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport which reminds boaters that the use of marked gas fuel as a propellant by private pleasure craft will be prohibited from 1 January 2020.

However, as reported earlier this week, oil suppliers at ports around Ireland’s coast have yet to be formally updated as to what changes are required under the new legislation. Afloat.ie has more on the story HERE.

The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport reminds water users of amendments to the 2017 edition of the Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft.

The Code of Practice is a valuable source of information, advice and best practice operational guidance for owners, masters, operators and users of a range of pleasure and recreational craft operating in Irish coastal and inland waters.

The content of the Code is kept under review in order to ensure that it remains up to date. Since the publication of the latest edition in November 2017, a number of revisions and updates have been identified. A list of these updates is available to view at Gov.ie.

The Code of Practice is a free document and hardcopies can be obtained on request, in both English and Irish, from the Maritime Safety Policy Division of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport at [email protected].

Gov.ie and Safetyonthewater.ie also have the Code available to view or download.

For further information on the Code, see Marine Notice No 26 of 2019, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

The Marine Institute’s Fisheries Ecosystems Advisory Services (FEAS) department will undertake a survey of herring off the West and North West Coasts from 1-10 December.

This survey is the fourth in a time series that is hoped will be developed into a long-term index of spawning/pre-spawning herring in ICES area 6a S/7b, for use in stock assessments in the future.

The overall 6a survey (6a N and 6a S/7b) is part of a collaborative partnership between Ireland, the Netherlands and UK (Scotland) that aims to improve understanding of the individual stock components of herring in 6a and 7b.

Next month’s survey will be conducted by the RV Celtic Voyager (callsign EIQN) using a towed body with two split-beam transducers (38 kHz and 120 kHz). The vessel will be trackable online during the survey.

In total around 1,100 nautical miles of cruise track will be undertaken with a mixture of parallel (spaced at 7.5 and 3.5 nm) and zig-zag transects. The vessel will display appropriate lights and signals.

Night operations will involve the towing of the two split-beam transducer. Fishing will take place opportunistically during daylight hours.

Contact details and co-ordinates of the relevant survey areas are included in Marine Notice No 50 of 2019, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

In response to Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) recommendations, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) has issued a Marine Notice to remind masters, owners, users, charterers, skippers and crew of fishing vessels of previous safety advice and requirements.

In addition, the notice informs the sector of several recommendations in relation to smaller vessels that are under consideration for inclusion in the next revision of the Code of Practice for the Design, Construction, Equipment and Operation of Small Fishing of less than 15m in Length overall.

In recent years the MCIB has made several recommendations some of which were incorporated in the most recent revision of the Code of Practice, most notably in relation to a requirement for all such fishing vessels to carry an automatic, float-free Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and for all fishers to carry Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs).

Some recommendations required further consideration and additional recommendations have since been made including:

• Improvement of stability standards (including freeboard and freeing ports in small decked vessels);
• Consideration of stating a minimum height of rails/bulwarks;
• A mandatory requirement for fishing vessels to be fitted with smoke/fire detection systems in engine rooms and for fuel and hydraulic oil pipes to be constructed out of fire resistant material;
• A requirement to carry safety harnesses for each person on board; and
• Making mandatory the holding of emergency drills for vessels less than 12 metres.

Owners are reminded that the nature and extent of any major repairs or major structural modifications to their vessel must comply with the Code of Practice for the Design, Construction, Equipment and Operation of Small Fishing Vessels of less than 15m Length overall (Section 1.5.4.4)

A reminder of previous relevant Marine Notices pertaining to fishing vessel safety is included in Marine Notice No 49 of 2019, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

Metocean devices will be deployed in the Irish Sea off the Wicklow coast in late October/early November, subject to weather conditions, to facilitate the development of the Arklow Bank Wind Park.

Five separate devices are being deployed which will include a seabed frame with sensors mounted on it, an anchoring system and a surface marker buoy, according to a recent Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

The devices will be located off the Wicklow coastline, with locations detailed in Marine Notice No 48 of 2019, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

The devices will be deployed using the shallow draft tug AMS Retriever (callsign MEHI8) and will remain in place for approximately one year, serviced on a quarterly basis.

During deployment and recovery operations, the AMS Retriever will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre.

The devices, similar to that recently deployed at the Oriel Windfarm in Dundalk Bay, will be located using yellow special mark buoys which will have relevant markers and ATON characters.