Irish Port and Shipping News

AFLOAT's photo of the deep-sea ('box-boat') containership Mette Maersk berthed in the UK at the Port of Felixstowe. The North Sea port is Britain’s biggest and busiest container port, and one of the largest in Europe connecting the globe. The UK port Afloat also adds is served by additional short-sea container 'feeder' routes to include those linking Belfast, Dublin and Cork.

Freight Forwarder Confident of ‘Relatively’ Quick Bounce Back for Box-Boat Shipping

12th May 2020 Ports & Shipping

Shipping container demand will bounce back relatively quickly as lockdowns are eased worldwide, believes leading digitally driven freight forwarder iContainers, bringing potential new challenges as well as opportunities. “I’m cautiously optimistic that we will see a relatively quick recovery when…

According to the EU it expects IT systems and databases in place for customs, VAT and excise so that the North can plug into the EU system, however the Brexit process grinds on slowly noting completion for this work in the North has a looming deadline of 1 July. So to enable customs infrastructure and related control posts to start "immediately" if everything is to be ready by 1 January, 2021.

Brexit-EU Relationship: Gears Grind Slowly On As Deadlines Draw Closer

11th May 2020 Ports & Shipping

Michel Barnier gave EU ambassadors on Tuesday a downbeat assessment of the negotiations on the future relationship with the UK. The EU's chief negotiator also spoke briefly about the row over the EU having an office in Belfast. As RTE…

UK Seafarers of 'Up to 2000' Stranded Due to Covid-19

10th May 2020 Ports & Shipping

Seafarers from the UK of up to 2,000 are stranded on ships around the world because of coronavirus lockdowns, the industry's trade body has told the BBC. The UK Chamber of Shipping wants the UK government to become the first to…

Salvor working at the site of the MV Kaami off Skye

Cargo Removed From Vessel That Ran Aground Off Scotland After Sailing From Drogheda

5th May 2020 Ports & Shipping

Salvors successfully offloaded the last recoverable cargo from the grounded MV Kaami in western Scotland last Thursday, 30 April. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the MV Kaami ran aground in the Minch between Skye and Lewis on 21 March, just…

The current global health crisis will require more than a “business as usual” update of Europe’s Transport Strategy. Above the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Ports Organisation Proposes Two-Step Approach on New EU Transport Strategy

1st May 2020 Ports & Shipping

Europe has since 2011 been facing numerous new challenges and has defined new policy ambitions. However, the health crisis the world is facing today risks to radically overturn current realities, assumptions and strategies as the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO)…

ESPO's Conference for this year has been postposed to May 202I though the venue is still scheduled to be hosted by the Port of Oslo, Norway where in this file photo above in the foreground a ferry and cruiseship are berthed. AFLOAT has identified these vessels, on the left is Danish ferry operator's DFDS's Crown Seaways however the ship's route between the Nordic capital and Copenhagen, Denmark is currently not operating due to Covid-19. As for the other vessel, this is the German cruise firm Pheonix Reisen's Albatros.

European Sea Ports Organisation Conference Postponed to May 2021 with Venue Still in Norway

27th April 2020 Ports & Shipping

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) regret to inform that they feel obliged to cancel their Conference 2020, which was due to take place in one month in Oslo, Norway. ESPO commented that this was a tough decision but in…

Irish Exporters Association is to host a free webinar: Covid-19 Update from the UK, where speakers from both sides of the Irish Sea will take part in the event. To join in you must though register online before the event begins tomorrow, Friday at 12 noon.

Irish Exporters Association to Host Webinar: Covid-19 Update from the UK (Friday, 24 April at 12 noon)

23rd April 2020 Ports & Shipping

The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) is to host tomorrow (Friday, 24 April at 12 noon) a free webinar with a #COVID-19 update from the UK. The webinar is to focus on business supports and on the resilience of key road…

The MV Kaami rests in The Minch at the known local hazard Eugenie’s Rock

Work Continues To Remove Cargo From Vessel Aground Off Scotland After Sailing From Drogheda

21st April 2020 Ports & Shipping

Work continues at pace to remove cargo from the MV Kaami which ran aground off Skye in western Scotland after sailing from Drogheda Port last month. A further 22 skips of cargo were removed yesterday (Monday 20 April), meaning a total…

MSC Federica (4,738 TEU) broke a record for a single containership exchange total of 5,452 TEU at the 2016 built Liverpool2 terminal which is part of the Port of Liverpool operated by the Peel Ports Group. AFLOAT adds the UK ports group also operates a container facility in the Dublin Port at the Marine Terminals Limited (MTL) on the South Bank Quay, Ringsend. At MTL is where BG Freight Line B.V. based in Rotterdam (a subsidiary of Peel Ports Group), operate 'feeder' containerships also from Belfast Harbour and the Port of Cork to mainland Europe. Afloat tracked today in Dublin Port at the MTL terminal the China built 'Ireland' max series BG Jade (1,004TEU) built 2018, which is berthed at the Irish capital having sailed from the Southampton, UK.

Operator of the Port of Liverpool Makes Record Container Volume from Single Ship

18th April 2020 Ports & Shipping

Across the Irish Sea from Dublin Port is the Port of Liverpool’s deep water container terminal, Liverpool2 where recently a new record was broken at the north-west England port. The record goes to containership MSC Federica which berthed last month…

EUROPOORT: Port organisations highlight the importance of EU member states to ensure crew changes at ports given Covid-19 so to ensure supply chains logistcs remain functioning. Above: The entrance to Europe's largest port AFLOAT adds is Rotterdam which includes an area called Europoort Rotterdam. The Dutch city is located in the province of South Holland in The Netherlands.

European Port Organisations Urge Member States to Enable Crew Changes in All Ports

18th April 2020 Ports & Shipping

According to the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, all European ports have been fully operational and continue to do everything they can to fulfil their essential role. This is the supply chain…

A containership berthed at Tivoli Terminal located downriver of Cork City

Exports from Ireland Hit by Falls in Chemicals and Pharmaceutical Sales

16th April 2020 Ports & Shipping

Exports from Ireland in February saw a sharp fall, according to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), although it appears that this was a result of a downturn in sales of chemicals and pharmaceuticals rather than the coronavirus. Those sales…

Launch of the last Arklow 'W' series, Arklow Wind at FerusSmit shipyard in Leer, Germany took place earlier this month

Fourth Arklow 'W' Series Ship Launched Completes Quartet of German Built Cargoships

15th April 2020 Arklow Shipping

The fourth and final 'W' series of newbuilds for Arklow Shipping was launched earlier this month, writes Jehan Ashmore. Arklow Wood was successfully launched at the Ferus Smit's shipyard in Leer, Germany. As Afloat reported a previous sister Arklow Willow…

Keep European Ports Going - COVID-19 Exit and Recovery Strategy

14th April 2020 Ports & Shipping

Europe’s ports have been doing everything possible since the start of the Covid-19 crisis to ensure the continuity of their operations and thus the security of supply. European ports have activated contingency plans to ensure that ports remain fully operational…

A still from BBC One NI’s Belfast Lough: Cruises, Cranes and Cargo

Belfast Harbour Has Starring Role In New BBC Documentary Series

13th April 2020 Maritime TV

A new TV series beginning tomorrow night (Tuesday 14 April) on BBC One Northern Ireland puts Belfast Harbour in the starring role. Today’s Belfast Telegraph features the three-part documentary, Belfast Harbour: Cruises, Cranes and Cargo, which was filmed in the…

Harland & Wolff Shipyard Horn Sounds After 20 Years in Appreciation of NHS Workers

10th April 2020 Shipyards

In Belfast’s world-famous Harland and Wolff shipyard where the Titanic was built, the horn which hasn’t been sounded for more than twenty years, reverberated loud and clear across the city on Thursday night at 8 pm in appreciation of NHS…

A containership berthed at the Tivoli lo-lo terminal located downriver of Cork City

Charging Extra by Shipping Firms to Transport Food, Boss of Kerrygold Maker Warns

9th April 2020 Ports & Shipping

Food producers in Ireland are being hit with extra charges to transport products in chilled containers, with shipping lines blaming the huge numbers of containers stuck in Chinese ports, according to Kerrygold maker Ornua's CEO. "Everything is not operating as…