Displaying items by tag: Harland & Wolff, Belfast

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

14th December 2016

Belfast's Harland & Wolff Banks on ‘Holy Grail’ of Decommissioning

Afloat adds that controversy arose as the public where at the scene of cargo from MSC Napoli (62,000grt) that washed ashore at Branscombe Beach, Devon UK. The 4,419 TEU containership during a storm suffered structural damage and was deliberately run aground at nearby Lyme Bay almost a decade ago on 20 January 2007. The 275m (900ft) vessel was one of the largest to be decommissioned at Harland & Wolff having been dismantled at their dry dock.

#Decommissioning - For many UK ports writes EnergyVoice, developing the facilities needed for large-scale decommissioning projects is a quest they are just embarking on.

But for the Belfast based Harland and Wolff (H&W) shipyard, the asset it describes as the Holy Grail of ship decommissioning has been in place for many years.

The yard that built the Titanic has one of the biggest dry docks in the world, at 556metres in length and 93metres wide, about the same area as seven Wembley football pitches.

David McVeigh, general manager, sales marketing and business development, said the dock is an important feather in Belfast’s cap.

Its thick, high walls are a physical barrier between the surrounding environment and oils and other contaminants that could accidentally spill. It keeps H&W in line with the 1992 Basel Convention on the transfer and disposal of hazardous waste materials.

Ports with piers or slipways may have well thought out safeguards against spills, but from an environmental viewpoint, they cannot offer the same level of assurance on decommissioning.

H&W also has a waste management licence for ship and offshore unit recycling, not to mention the two giant yellow cranes, Samson and Goliath.

Mr McVeigh said H&W’s offering means it should appeal to those who take their environmental responsibilities seriously. He said: “Our facilities are huge. We have big quaysides and one of the biggest dry docks in the world.

It means we can offer environmentally credible solutions. “Some customers would place the economics above the environmental impact. We’ll still see vessels going outside EU to places that are not as concerned about environmental issues as we are. If someone is looking for a cheap solution they’re not going to come to us, but if someone values the environment, we are well suited to deliver.”

Mr McVeigh said that while decommissioning is not a big earner for H&W, the yard will be “ready to go” when the market kicks into gear.

To date, perhaps the biggest decommissioning job H&W has handled was that of the MSC Napoli container ship (see Belfast coverage photo), which was beached in Lyme Bay in the English Channel in 2007. The job could quite easily serve as a dress rehearsal for the decommissioning of a floating production, storage and offloading vessel in the coming decades.

Dismantling topsides could be part of the mix, too. Mr McVeigh said H&W had carried out a dock appraisal to demonstrate that Allseas’ mammoth Pioneering Spirit, which will remove Shell’s Brent Delta platform in summer 2017, could work within the harbour’s existing facilities.

For more and also manufacturing installation project click here.

Published in Belfast Lough

Tagged under

First Time in 32 Years HMS Caroline Departs Belfast Dock

WW1 Battle of Jutland veteran light cruiser, HMS Caroline under tow from current location in Alexandra Dock to Harland & Wolff, Belfast, for a scheduled dry-docking involving a hull inspection and repair.

#HMScaroline - For the first time in 32 years, HMS Caroline departed from its moorings in Belfast Harbour.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that the last remaining vessel from the World War One Battle of Jutland gently eased from its Alexandra Dock home yesterday (Friday) morning.

The 3,700-ton veteran light cruiser, sailed to Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries’ Belfast Dock for a scheduled hull inspection and repair.

Work is expected to last until Christmas before the ship then returns to its dock.

HMS Caroline serves as a monument to the 10,000 Irishmen who lost their lives at sea between 1914 and 1918.

Following a £15m restoration project, it opened to the public in June as a floating five-star museum and has already attracted more than 16,000 paying visitors.

For more on this rare towage operation, the newspaper features more photos click here.

Published in Historic Boats

Tagged under

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.