Displaying items by tag: Minehunter

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

17th November 2023

Minehunter from the UK’s Royal Navy Sandown-Class Calls to Dublin Port

A Sandown-class minehunter of the UK’s Royal Navy, HMS Penzance (M1O6) which departed Oban in west Scotland is on a visit to Dublin Port having arrived this morning, writes Jehan Ashmore.

During the week the 500 displacement tonnes HMS Penzance had been offshore of Newcastle, Co. Down and Afloat continued to track the vessel that reached Lambay Island yesterday.

An overnight anchorage took place off the west side of the island and offshore of Rush in north, Co. Dublin. This morning the 52m minehunter was off Howth Peninsula waiting for a pilot cutter from the port which took place at around 0900hrs, before proceeding into Dublin Bay.

A crew of 40 operate the minehunter which berthed at the North Quay Wall Extension, one of the port’s areas where foreign naval vessels are allocated berths. As routine, the port of call will enable crew rest and recreation.

HMS Penzance is named after the seaside town of Penzance in Cornwall and was commissioned by the Royal Navy in 1998. Also in service are more of the Sandown-class, HMS Pembroke and HMS Bangor, where the harbour-town on Belfast Lough was visited by HMS Penzance in June as part of the Sea Bangor Festival.

The primary role of HMS Penzance, as part of the First Mine Counter Measures Squadron (MCM1) is to work along the UK coastline, clearing mines to allow safe passage for larger forces. The minehunters also provide an additional layer of protection thanks to their firepower and conduct NATO exercises with other nations.

In 2000 the minehunter was deployed to the Middle East for three years as part of a Mine Countermeasures Squadron based out of Bahrain.

On completion of the call to the Irish capital, a departure on Monday and it is understood HMS Penzance is to return to Oban.

Published in Naval Visits

Tagged under

Harland & Wolff Acquires Former UK Royal Navy Mine Hunter

Harland & Wolff have acquired the former Royal Navy 'Hunt' class mine hunter, HMS Atherstone which H&W believe will significantly de-risk the M55 regeneration programme

Harland & Wolff shipyard has acquired the former UK Royal Navy HMS Atherstone from the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

HMS Atherstone was launched in 1986 as the Hunt-class Mine Counter-Measures Vessel (MCMV), that is no longer in service.

The acquisition by Harland & Wolff of the vessel is with a view to refurbishing it for non-military uses, discussions for which have already commenced with interested parties.

Harland & Wolff is involved in a competition run by the MOD regeneration programme for the former HMS Quorn (M55). It believes that the acquisition of the former

HMS Atherstone will significantly de-risk the M55 regeneration programme given that the two vessels share a number of spare parts and components.

Should Harland & Wolff be awarded the regeneration programme for the M55, such spare parts and components on the HMS Atherstone will be utilised during the regeneration programme of the M55. It expects negotiations with the MOD on the M55 regeneration programme to be completed in the next few weeks with an announcement to be made thereafter, should an award be made in Harland & Wolff’s favour.

Harland & Wolff, group CEO John Wood, commented: “I am delighted that we have acquired the former HMS Atherstone.

“The benefits of this acquisition are two-fold; we now can significantly de-risk the M55 regeneration programme by utilising spares and component parts common to the two vessels, which has been recognised by MOD and will certainly help in closing out the negotiations over the next few weeks.

“Secondly, we also can utilise this platform as the basis for other clients’ projects, which will be a valuable revenue stream for 2023.

“I am pleased that we have generated a lot of interest for the repurposing of the former HMS Atherstone, and I expect to make announcements in this regard as soon as we have executed a refurbishment contract with a counterparty.”

Published in Shipyards

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.