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Displaying items by tag: Increased Sailings

Irish Ferries services have been strengthened on a key Irish Sea route with the return of two daily sailings, reports NorthWalesLive.

The operator have restored a morning and evening service from Holyhead to Dublin which will be operated by the MV Epsilon.

The ship is under charter to Irish Ferries and it had been thought was being returned to its owner this year when the sailings were not included in the summer timetable.

In December a North Wales Live reader found there was no Irish Ferries morning sailing when he tried to book a ferry for his vehicle from Holyhead to Dublin next July with a mid afternoon return.

But both are now available to book and are shown as being operated by the Epsilon.

The ship is currently operating alongside the larger Ulysses vessel on the key route. Both ships will be joined later this spring by the fastcraft Dublin Swift. Irish Ferries have made no announcement about the updated timetable.

The revised timetable may be an indication traffic levels on the Irish Sea are returning to something approaching pre-Covid and pre-Brexit levels.

More here on this story.

Published in Irish Ferries
Tagged under

Deputy Alan Dillon, Fine Gael Spokesperson on Tourism & Sport, welcomed confirmation from Rural & Community Development Minister, Heather Humphreys TD, that her Department will be increasing daily ferry sailings to Clare Island.

A tender recently issued by her Department only required a minimum of two return services daily. This meant that something as simple as a medical appointment might require an islander having to sacrifice an entire day to travel to the mainland.

The ferry service will now be increased to four return sailings daily, which should prove a real game changer for people living on the island. In addition to increasing tourism opportunities.

More here reports Mayo Advertiser that follows a campaign by islanders to improve the service

Published in Ferry

Ferry company Stena Line has boosted the frequency of its sailings between Fishguard – Rosslare from 14 sailings to 24 every week.

The increase in frequency began yesterday and is good news for the company’s Welsh port of Fishguard, which had seen services reduced due to lower demand from freight and passengers, as a consequence of both the COVID-19 lockdowns and Brexit.

With the easing of lockdown restrictions, and a hope that international tourist travel will resume shortly, Stena Line is anticipating a busy summer. The Fishguard – Rosslare route is particularly popular with tourists as it offers the most convenient option with the shortest crossings between Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The ‘car-cation’ is expected to be the preferred travel mode this year as more people opt for driving holidays in Britain and Ireland, and where better than the picturesque Welsh coast or Ireland’s ‘sunny South East’.

Paul Grant, Trade Director Irish Sea, says: “It has been a very difficult start to the year for the port of Fishguard and the route across to Rosslare. While the Irish port has boomed due to direct services to France, our Welsh port has been quiet.

“As trade flows between Britain and Ireland begin to pick-up we’re anticipating that confidence will recover for land-bridge freight movements. Shorter, faster and more frequent routes are always popular with hauliers and their customers. In addition, we know that there is a lot of pent up demand for travel and the return of Duty Free onboard will offer even greater value for passengers traveling with Stena Line.”

Published in Stena Line
Tagged under

Freight ferry cargo levels continue to improve with Seatruck as a result the Irish Sea operator has announced the re-introduction of the 15:30 sailing ex Dublin Port on Thursday's and the 03:30 sailing ex Liverpool on Friday's.

This additional round-trip came in practise last Thursday with the ex Dublin sailing.

Seatruck have already reinstated Tuesday morning sailings onto the Warrenpoint – Heysham route.  The operator say they continue to monitor cargo levels and evaluate customer feedback to determine the number of sailings required on each route.

The 'P' class vessels (currently operating on the Dublin-Heysham and Dublin-Liverpool routes) can accommodate 12 passengers in single cabins.

As for the 'FSG' class (currently operating on the Dublin-Liverpool and Warrenpoint-Heysham routes) continue to operate with a maximum of 6 passengers per vessel, allowing drivers to have a single cabin for the duration of the voyage.

For further information contact the relevant port for booking information.

In regards to the latest schedule information,  follow the link HERE to the 7-day live schedule or download the Seatruck schedule App.

In March due to Covid-19 there was a temporary stop in carrying HGV drivers and passengers on board.

Currently in Dublin Port is Seatruck Power (as pictured above).

In addition Afloat also tracked Seatruck Panorama having left Dublin Bay and ahead further into the Irish Sea is a another 'P' class, Clipper Pennant.  

Both these ro-ro freight-ferries this afternoon are bound for Merseyside. 

Published in Ferry

#freightferry - Irish Sea freight-only ro-ro operator, Seatruck Ferries has from today increased capacity by adding Tuesday morning sailings on the core Dublin-Liverpool route, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Due to increased demand, Seatruck Ferries new Tuesday morning sailings on the busy central corridor route, will take the service total to 40 sailings per week.

The particular vessel operating this morning's sailing from Dublin Port is the Seatruck Power. The ro-ro freighter which was completed by FSG, Germany in 2012 has a capacity for 150 freight units spread across 2,166 lane metres.

In total, the operator now offers Irish Sea customers 74 sailings per week, allowing for greater flexibility in the shipment of unaccompanied trailers.

The company also operate Dublin-Heysham and Warrenpoint-Heysham. Among the 10-strong fleet is the 65 unit freight ferry Arrow that is on charter to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.

The ship which acts as a relief vessel is currently away from Manx waters due to the dry-docking of a freighter from Condor Ferries, the main operator serving the Channel Islands.

Published in Ferry

Port of Cork Information

The Port of Cork is the key seaport in the south of Ireland and is one of only two Irish ports which service the requirements of all six shipping modes i.e., Lift-on Lift-off, Roll-on Roll-off, Liquid Bulk, Dry Bulk, Break Bulk and Cruise. Due to its favourable location on the south coast of Ireland and its modern deep-water facilities, the Port of Cork is ideally positioned for additional European trading as well as for yet unexploited direct deep-sea shipping services.

The Port of Cork is investing €80 million in a container terminal development in Ringaskiddy. The Cork Container Terminal will initially offer a 360-metre quay with 13-metre depth alongside and will enable larger ships to berth in the port. The development also includes the construction of a 13.5-hectare terminal and associated buildings as well as two ship to shore gantry cranes and container handling equipment.

The development of new container handling facilities at Ringaskiddy was identified in the Port of Cork’s Strategic Development Plan in 2010. It will accommodate current and future container shipping which can be serviced by modern and efficient cargo handling equipment with innovative terminal operating and vehicle booking systems. The Port of Cork anticipates that Cork Container Terminal will be operational in 2020.

The Port of Cork is the key seaport in the south of Ireland and is one of just two Irish ports which service the requirements of all shipping modes.

The Port of Cork also controls Bantry Bay Port Company and employs 150 people across all locations.

A European Designated Core Port and a Tier 1 Port of National Significance, Port of Cork’s reputation for quality service, including prompt and efficient vessel turnaround as well as the company’s investment in future growth, ensures its position as a vital link in the global supply chain.

The port has made impressive strides in recent decades, most recently with the construction of the new €80m Cork Container Terminal in Ringaskiddy which will facilitate the natural progression of the move from a river port to a deepwater port in order to future proof the Port
of Cork. This state-of-the-art terminal which will open in 2020 will be capable of berthing the largest container ships currently calling to Ireland.

The Port of Cork Company is a commercial semi-state company responsible for the commercial running of the harbour as well as responsibility for navigation and berthage in the port.  The Port is the main port serving the South of Ireland, County Cork and Cork City. 

Types of Shipping Using Port of Cork

The Port offers all six shipping modes from Lift-on Lift-off, Roll-on Roll-off, Liquid Bulk, Dry Bulk, Break Bulk and Cruise liner traffic.

Port of Cork Growth

The port has made impressive strides in recent decades. Since 2000, the Port of Cork has invested €72 million in improving Port infrastructure and facilities. Due to its favourable location and its modern deepwater facilities, the Port is ideally positioned for additional European trading as well as for yet unexploited direct deep-sea shipping services. A well-developed road infrastructure eases the flow of traffic from and to the port. The Port of Cork’s growing reputation for quality service, including prompt and efficient vessel turnaround, ensures its position as a vital link in the global supply chain. The Port of Cork Company turnover in 2018 amounted to €35.4 million, an increase of €3.9 million from €31.5 million in 2017. The combined traffic of both the Ports of Cork and Bantry increased to 10.66 million tonnes in 2018 up from 10.3 million tonnes in 2017.

History of Port of Cork

Famous at the last port of call of the Titanic, these medieval navigation and port facilities of the city and harbour were historically managed by the Cork Harbour Commissioners. Founded in 1814, the Cork Harbour Commissioners moved to the Custom House in 1904.  Following the implementation of the 1996 Harbours Act, by March 1997 all assets of the Commissioners were transferred to the Port of Cork Company.

Commercial Traffic at Port of Cork

Vessels up to 90,000 tonnes deadweight (DWT) are capable of coming through entrance to Cork Harbour. As the shipping channels get shallower the farther inland one travels, access becomes constricted, and only vessels up to 60,000 DWT can sail above Cobh. The Port of Cork provides pilotage and towage facilities for vessels entering Cork Harbour. All vessels accessing the quays in Cork City must be piloted and all vessels exceeding 130 metres in length must be piloted once they pass within 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km) of the harbour entrance.

Berthing Facilities in Cork Harbour

The Port of Cork has berthing facilities at Cork City, Tivoli, Cobh and Ringaskiddy. The facilities in Cork City are primarily used for grain and oil transport. Tivoli provides container handling, facilities for oil, livestock and ore and a roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) ramp. Prior to the opening of Ringaskiddy Ferry Port, car ferries sailed from here; now, the Ro-Ro ramp is used by companies importing cars into Ireland. In addition to the ferry terminal, Ringaskiddy has a deep water port.

Port of Cork Development Plans

2020 will be a significant year for the Port of Cork as it prepares to complete and open the €86 million Cork Container Terminal development in Ringaskiddy.

Once operational the new terminal will enable the port to handle up to 450,000 TEU per annum. Port of Cork already possess significant natural depth in Cork harbour, and the work in Ringaskiddy Port will enable the Port of Cork to accommodate vessels of 5500 to 6000 TEU, which will provide a great deal of additional potential for increasing container traffic.

It follows a previous plan hatched in 2006 as the port operated at full capacity the Port drew up plans for a new container facility at Ringaskiddy. This was the subject of major objections and after an Oral Planning Hearing was held in 2008 the Irish planning board Bord Pleanala rejected the plan due to inadequate rail and road links at the location.  

Further notable sustainability projects also include:

  • The Port of Cork have invested in 2 x STS cranes – Type single lift, Model P (148) L, (WS) Super. These cranes contain the most modern and energy-efficient control and monitoring systems currently available on the market and include an LED floodlight system equipped with software to facilitate remote diagnostics, a Crane Management System (CMS) and an energy chain supply on both cranes replacing the previous preferred festoon cabling installation.
  • The Port of Cork has installed High Mast Lighting Voltage Control Units at its two main cargo handling locations – Tivoli Industrial & Dock Estate and Ringaskiddy Deep-water & Ferry Terminals. This investment has led to more efficient energy use and reduced risk of light pollution. The lights can also be controlled remotely.
  • The Port of Cork’s largest electrical consumer at Tivoli Container Terminal is the handling and storage of refrigerated containers. Local data loggers were used to assess energy consumption. This provided timely intervention regarding Power Factor Correction Bank efficiency on our STS (Ship to Shore) Cranes and Substations, allowing for reduced mains demand and reducing wattless energy losses along with excess charges. The information gathered has helped us to design and build a reefer storage facility with energy management and remote monitoring included.

Bantry Port

In 2017 Bantry Bay Port Company completed a significant investment of €8.5 million in the Bantry Inner Harbour development. The development consisted of a leisure marina, widening of the town pier, dredging of the inner harbour and creation of a foreshore amenity space.

Port of Cork Cruise Liner Traffic

2019 was a record cruise season for the Port of Cork with 100 cruise liners visiting. In total over 243,000 passengers and crew visited the region with many passengers visiting Cork for the first time.

Also in 2019, the Port of Cork's Cruise line berth in Cobh was recognised as one of the best cruise destinations in the world, winning in the Top-Rated British Isles & Western Europe Cruise Destination category. 

There has been an increase in cruise ship visits to Cork Harbour in the early 21st century, with 53 such ships visiting the port in 2011, increasing to approximately 100 cruise ship visits by 2019.

These cruise ships berth at the Port of Cork's deepwater quay in Cobh, which is Ireland's only dedicated berth for cruise ships.

Passenger Ferries

Operating since the late 1970s, Brittany Ferries runs a ferry service to Roscoff in France. This operates between April and November from the Ro-Ro facilities at Ringaskiddy. Previous ferry services ran to Swansea in Wales and Santander in Spain. The former, the Swansea Cork ferry, ran initially between 1987 and 2006 and also briefly between 2010 and 2012.

The latter, a Brittany Ferries Cork–Santander service, started in 2018 but was cancelled in early 2020.

Marine Leisure

The Port of Cork has a strategy that aims to promote the harbour also as a leisure amenity. Cork’s superb natural harbour is a great place to enjoy all types of marine leisure pursuits. With lots of sailing and rowing clubs dotted throughout the harbour, excellent fishing and picturesque harbour-side paths for walking, running or cycling, there is something for everyone to enjoy in and around Cork harbour. The Port is actively involved with the promotion of Cork Harbour's annual Festival. The oldest sailing club in the world, founded in 1720, is the Royal Cork Yacht Club is located at Crosshaven in the harbour, proof positive, says the Port, that the people of Cork, and its visitors, have been enjoying this vast natural leisure resource for centuries. 

Port of Cork Executives

  • Chairman: John Mullins
  • Chief Executive: Brendan Keating
  • Secretary/Chief Finance Officer: Donal Crowley
  • Harbour Master and Chief Operations Officer: Capt. Paul O'Regan
  • Port Engineering Manager: Henry Kingston
  • Chief Commercial Officer: Conor Mowlds
  • Head of Human Resources: Peter O'Shaughnessy