Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Circumnavigation Cruise of Ireland

#CRUISE LINERS – Due to bad weather a 11-day circumnavigation cruise of Ireland by Clipper Adventurer which is currently en-route from Argentina has been diverted to Cork, deferring the start of the cruise which was due to depart from Waterford today, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 101m long vessel operated by Noble Caledonia was to welcome over 230 American and Canadian passenger on a cruise organised by Adventure Canada, in association with Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

According to the cruise itinerary the tourists were firstly to fly to Dublin and stay last night in a city-centre hotel. Also originally as scheduled was a coach tour today to visit Glendalough and the Rock of Cashel before reaching Waterford this afternoon to board the small expedition ship.

Despite the setback the 4,000 tonnes vessel with a crew of 65 which is on a repositioning voyage from South America to Europe was to make Cork her port of call tomorrow anyway. The only change being the embarkation port at the expense of the crystal city.

Clipper Adventurer is expected to arrive in Cork Harbour from 12 noon tomorrow and head for Ringaskiddy Deepwater Terminal. Also due is the 290m Emerald of the Seas which at 113,000 tonnes is in complete contrast as the massive vessel can accommodate over 3,500 passengers and 1,200 crew. She is to berth at Cobh cruise terminal.

Asides cruise callers the ferryport in Ringaskiddy will be as usual expecting the weekend-only call of Brittany Ferries flagship cruiseferry Pont-Aven, having made a crossing overnight from Roscoff.

While on the May Bank Holiday Monday Cobh is also set to welcome an even larger cruise caller in the form of the Independence of the Seas. The 154,000 tonnes giant is no stranger to the harbour as she made her maiden 'Irish' port of call in 2007. She can handle over 4,300 passengers and over 1,300 crew alone.

Published in Cruise Liners

As an island economy, a healthy maritime sector is key to our national competitiveness. Virtually all our imports and exports pass through Irish ports.

Ireland is dependent on ports and shipping services to transport goods and 90% of our trade is moved though Irish ports. Shipping and maritime transport services make a significant contribution to Ireland’s ocean economy, with the sector generating €2.3 billion in turnover and employing over 5,000 people in 2018.

Ireland’s maritime industry continues to grow and progress each year with Irish ports and shipping companies making significant investments. The ports sector in Ireland is currently undergoing a number of expansions and developments with Dublin Port’s Alexandra Basin development, the development of Ringaskiddy in Cork by Port of Cork and the development of Shannon Foynes Port. Along with these major investments, shipping companies are also investing heavily in new tonnage, with Irish Ferries, CLdN and Stena leading new build programmes.

These pages cover the following sectoral areas: shipowners, harbour authorities, shipbrokers, freight forwarders and contractors, cruise liner operators, port users, seamen, merchants, academic institutions, shipyards and repair facilities, naval architects, navy and defence personnel.

Our pages are covering some of the most notable arrivals around our coast and reporting too on port development and shipping news.

This section of the site deals with Port and Shipping News on our largest ports Dublin Port, Port of Cork, the Shannon Estuary, Galway Harbour and Belfast Lough.

A recent study carried out for the Irish Ports Association (IPA) totalled 75.7 billion during 2004 and their net economic impact was some 5.5 billion supporting around 57, 500 full time employees.

Liam Lacey, Director of the Marine Institute’s Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) said, “The Irish maritime industry can look to the future with confidence. It has shown itself to be resilient and agile in responding to challenges. Over the past decade, it has had to respond to the challenges of the financial crisis of 2008, the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and recent challenges. Ireland’s maritime sector has continued to underpin our economy by maintaining vital shipping links for both trade and tourism.”