Displaying items by tag: Arklow Bank

Q: Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

31st January 2024

Marine Notice: Cetacean Acoustic Monitoring at Arklow Bank and Gorey

The Department of Transport has been advised by University College Cork (UCC) that it intends to deploy hydrophones east of the Arklow Bank at four locations, and southwards to 15km off the bank and east of Gorey and Blackwater.

This marine science research aims to describe seasonal and diurnal occurrence of the cetaceans (the order of marine wildlife that comprises whales, dolphins and porpoise) present in the areas.

UCC plans to deploy four moorings with attached hydrophones on the seabed between the dates of Monday 5 and Saturday 17 February, subject to operational and weather constraints. The moorings will be fully recovered after three to four months for maintenance and then redeployed.

The hydrophones will be deployed in four locations in a latitudinal gradient, from east of the turbines at the Arklow Bank to 10km south of the bank, east of Gorey and Blackwater, Co Wexford.

A single vessel will be used for deploy the hydrophones: the Sharpshooter (callsign EI5069). Deployment operations will be conducted during the hours of daylight, during favourable weather conditions.

Throughout operations, the vessel will be displaying the appropriate lights and shapes as required under the COLREGS Rule 27(b). As Sharpshooter will be deploying survey equipment and moorings, the vessel will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre, therefore all other vessels are requested to leave a wide berth.

Coordinates and a map of the survey areas as well as contact details can be found in Marine Notice No 05 of 2024, attached below.

Published in Marine Science

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Marine Notice: UCD DAS Survey in Southern Irish Sea Off Wexford and Wicklow

Research survey TC22016 will be carried out in the southern Irish Sea off the Wexford/Wicklow coast by University College Dublin from next Wednesday 30 November to Friday 9 December, subject to weather and operational constraints.

The aim of this research project is to test novel low-impact marine sensors to aid in better understanding of seabed processes and sub-bottom conditions.

Survey works will be conducted on and around Arklow Bank by the State’s latest marine research vessel, the RV Tom Crean (callsign EIYX3), which will display appropriate lights and signals.

Within the defined areas, the vessel will be undertaking deployment of equipment and operation of acoustic sources during daylight hours, and sparker and multi-beam acoustic operations during the night.

All operations will be carried out in accordance with safe operating practices and MMO procedures and cognisant of fishing gear. All surface equipment will display appropriate lighting while deployed.

As the vessel will be limited in its ability to manoeuvre at times when undertaking operations, other vessels are kindly requested to keep a wide berth.

Mariners as also asked to note that a wind turbine was set on fire by a suspected lightning strike last month in the location of this planned survey and that there is a radio navigation warning in force. All vessels are requested to keep at least 500 metres clear of the turbine.

Maps and coordinates of the survey area as well as contact details can be found in Marine Notice No 79 of 2022, attached below.

Published in Marine Science

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Rudder Problems for German Containership Dry Docked in Dublin Port

#ShipRudder- A German-owned containership Arslan II (1991/3,125grt) that is understood to have got into difficulties due to rudder problems along Arklow Bank in mid-January, currently remains in a Dublin dry-dock, writes Jehan Ashmore.

An initial tow of the Arslan II was carried out by a tug to Dublin Bay from where a Dublin Port Company tug Shackleton joined to assist towing the 260TEU container capacity vessel to the Coal Quay. Arsalan II was subsequently moved into the No.2 dry-dock facility of Dublin Graving Docks Ltd.

Arslan II was a familiar trader in the Irish Sea for more than two decades and moreso under her previous name of Coastal Isle until November 2013. She had operated Peel Ports Group subsidiary Coastal Container Line services that included the Dublin (MTL Terminal)–Liverpool route.

Last summer the Peel Ports Group carried out restructuring of operations that saw Coastal Container Line merged into BG Freight Line's Irish Sea and short-sea continental route network.

A sister, Coastal Deniz as previously reported on Afloat.ie continues to run for Peel Port Group's 'green' inland waterway shuttle service between Liverpool (Seaforth Container Terminal) and Manchester (Irlam Container Terminal) using the 58km/36-mile long Manchester Ship Canal.

Published in Ports & Shipping

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Marine Leisure & Aquatic Tourism

Domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million.

Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips.

While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities.

According to the National University of Galway (NUIG) research the average expenditure per coastal day trip in 2018 was calculated at €95. The equivalent for coastal overnight trips was €310. The estimated water-based activity expenditure per person per trip across the sample was €56 rising to €73 for the subsample that actually undertake waterbased activities on their coastal visits. The results also indicate that domestic tourists undertake the majority of their marine activities on the West and South coasts of Ireland and that there are notable differences in participation rates across age groupings, social classes and by family makeup.

A domestic tourist is defined in this report as a person who spends at least one night away from home on their trip. Total expenditure by domestic tourists in coastal areas was estimated to be €698 million in 2018, which represents 35% of the total expenditure by domestic tourists (using the broader Fáilte Ireland measure for domestic tourists that includes business trips equating to 10.92 million in total trips and €2,006 million in total revenue).

The marine-related activity expenditure, or what might truly be referred to as domestic marine tourism, is estimated to generate revenue of €381 million with €172 million being spent on water-based activities. Marine tourism makes up an estimated 19% of total domestic tourism expenditure.

Marine Leisure Tourism - FAQ

What is marine leisure tourism?

Coastal tourism refers to land-based and water-based tourism activities taking place on the coast for which the proximity to the sea is a condition including also their respective services. Coastal and Marine Tourism & Leisure are seen as one of the Blue Economy (BE) sectors that can help unlock the potential of multi-use of space at sea by engaging with Blue Growth (BG) sectors such as Aquaculture and Marine Renewable Energy among others.

Give examples of marine leisure tourism?

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

What marine leisure tourism studies have been conducted in Ireland?

NUI Galway carried out a survey of domestic residents in Ireland in 2019 as part of a survey entitled "Valuing and understanding the dynamics of Ireland's Ocean Economy". The purpose of the household survey was to profile the domestic market for single-day trips (leisure) and overnight trips (tourism) for coastal and marine-related activities in Ireland. The results of the survey are also used to estimate what proportion of an Irish resident's total domestic tourism expenditure is in coastal areas (coastal tourism) and what proportion is spent on undertaking marine-related activities (marine tourism).

What were the results of the NUI marine leisure tourism study?

The NUI results highlight the important contribution that Ireland's marine and coastal resources make to the leisure experiences of the general population and the importance of the domestic tourism market to local coastal economies. The analysis indicates that domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million. Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips. While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. Satisfaction with the available marine-related leisure facilities was also found to be very high across all activities.