Displaying items by tag: Meri Tuuli

11th April 2013

Shipwreck Highlights Danger of Portugal's Winter Winds

#Shipwreck - Two are reported dead after a shipwreck yesterday (Wednesday 10 April) on the Portuguese coast in what is a reminder to all cruisers of the dangers of strong winds in the region.

According to Portuguese language newspaper Publico, the deceased include one of the five crew of the German-flagged cruiser Meri Tuuli, and a member of the Portuguese maritime police attending to the incident who went into the water when his RIB overturned.

Eight people in total were admitted to hospital after the incident in which the Meri Tuuli - an X-442 yacht perated by a local sailing school - capsized on Cabedelo beach in Figueira da Foz, near Oporto.

Two are reported to be "wounded with traumatic injuries" while another two showed symptoms of hypothermia after exposure to the water.

Figueira da Foz is a popular cruising destination along the Iberian coast, but its port is vulnerable to the high swells that attract surfers to the area, sometimes closing altogether.

A source close to Afloat.ie described most harbour entrances along Portugal's west coast as "lethal during of after strong winter south or southwest winds" which are made stronger as air rushes into the valleys at river mouths as sea breezes.

Published in Cruising

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Shannon Foynes Port Information

Shannon Foynes Port (SFPC) are investing in an unprecedented expansion at its general cargo terminal, Foynes, adding over two-thirds the size of its existing area. In the latest phase of a €64 million investment programme, SFPC is investing over €20 million in enabling works alone to convert 83 acres on the east side of the existing port into a landbank for marine-related industry, port-centric logistics and associated infrastructure. The project, which will be developed on a phased basis over the next five years, will require the biggest infrastructure works programme ever undertaken at the port, with the entire 83 acre landbank having to be raised by 4.4 metres. The programme will also require the provision of new internal roads and multiple bridge access as well as roundabout access.