Displaying items by tag: Former US army landing craft

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

10th August 2016

Former US Army Landing Craft Transports Generators to Aran Islands

#AranCargoship - The cargsoship that transported generators to restore electricity supply to two of the Aran Islands this week, Afloat has identified as a former US Army landing craft vessel, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The generators were craned off the MV Chateau-Thierry, which among its services, Lasta Mara Teo operates a roll on / roll-off service from Rossaveel, Co. Galway.

As previously reported the subsea cable fault left almost 400 residents of Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr without power for four days, was restored at the beginning of this week. Work, however to repair the subsea cable could take up to four weeks.

The Galway registered twin-screw, Chateau-Thierry operates a Rossaveal-Aran Islands service that is mostly involved in trasnporting large cargoes, maintly trucks, excavators, heavy plant and machinery.

A prime example of moving heavy machinery, were those used in the construction to build the outer harbour of Kilronan (Cill Rónáin) on the main island of Inishmore. This was to improve ferry access to and from the mainland. During construction, vehicles were driven off the Chateau-Thierry, which is equipped with ramps that were lowered onto the beach beside Kilronan Pier.

It was during a visit to Inishmore in June, 2009, that asides observing the busy ferry traffic, trawler Iolair and coaster Stenland were also alongside Kilronan Pier. The former Norwegian vessel that traded as Beth Anja, was then tramping around carrying cargoes along the mid-west coast, between Galway and Westport. It was from the Co. Mayo port was where among the cargoes included building materials loaded for Clare Island.

Also on that Aran occasion, another Norwegian connection was that of the former Hurtigruten coastal cruise cargo-ferry, Midnatsol. The vessel converted to cruiseship, National Geographic Explorer was anchored off Kilronan Harbour. Cruise-goers took to 6,471 tonnes vessel's fleet of zodiacs to reach the island harbour.

As for the works of the new outer pier at Kilronan, this required 77,000 tonnes of large natural stone blocks sourced from Connemara, to protect the breakwater from erosion. The new harbour, twice the area in size of Croke Park, had been voted in 2012 by the public as the Best Engineering Project of the Year.

Also engaged in the project was Irish Dredging, part of the Dutch owned Boskalis Group, which recently completed removal of spoil from Dublin Port and out to dumping grounds in the bay.

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.