#MarineNotice - The Marine Engineering Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is undertaking dredging works at Smooth Point in Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre from this month till March 2018.

Plant on site shall include the backhoe dredger Capall Mara (Callsign IJFN2) as well as modular pontoon flat top dredge barges, tugs and other smaller vessels.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is also undertaking works at the east side of the Auction Hall/Landing Pier involving the installation of additional steel fendering along the face of the pier and the construction of mooring dolphins at the start of the pier.

These works shall involve the use of heavy civil engineering drilling and lifting plant. There will be a jack-up barge and a spud barge on-site during the works. Divers shall also be employed at the beginning and at the end of the project.

For safety reasons mariners are requested to stay clear of these sites during the works in the harbour and are requested to proceed with caution in the area of the new pier and the Auction Hall/Landing Pier. Wave wash from vessels should be avoided.

Further details of these works are included in Marine Notice No 58 of 2017, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The Marine Institute advises that the annual Irish Groundfish Survey (IGFS2017) is being carried out off the South and West coasts of Ireland till Saturday 9 December in fulfilment of Ireland's Common Fisheries Policy obligations.

The IGFS is a demersal trawl survey consisting of approximately 125 fishing hauls of 30 min duration each in ICES area VIIb, VIIg and VIIj.

Fishing in 2017 is taking place within a two nautical mile radius of these indicative positions, the approximate locations of which are noted in Marine Notice No 55 of 2017.

As with last month's survey off the North West, the operation is being conducted by the RV Celtic Explorer (Callsign EIGB).

The vessel is displaying all appropriate lights and signals during the survey and is also listening on VHF Channel 16. It is towing a high headline GOV 36/47 demersal trawl during fishing operations.

Commercial fishing and other marine operators are requested keep a two nautical mile area around the tow points clear of any gear or apparatus during the survey period.

#MarineNotice - Dredging works were set to commence this week at Dingle Fishery Harbour Centre and are expected to be ongoing until the end of February 2018.

The works will involve the dredging of the north/south section of the main navigation channel and an area between the breakwaters off the main quay head.

The vessel Grete Fighter (Callsign: OZLP2) and the jack-up barge Yo Yo will be onsite and will maintain a VHF watch on Channel 16/14.

Three Special Mark (monitoring buoy) Fl Y 2s will be in positions 150 meters east, west and south of the north/south channel within the fishery harbour centre.

The Grete Fighter will be transiting to an approved dumpsite east of Beenban Head marked by four special marks.

Port hand marks and leading lights will be affected during the course of the works.

For safety reasons, mariners are requested to proceed slowly and with caution when in the vicinity of the dredging vessels in the fishery harbour centre and to give the works a wide berth.

Contact details and co-ordinates of the dump area are included in Marine Notice No 53 of 2017, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - TechWorks Marine advises that it is planning to deploy a marine monitoring buoy in Killybegs Bay that will be in place from this month till March 2018.

Part of the oceanographic monitoring for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the buoy will be deployed on a dual mooring from the vessel Sinbad (Callsign EI7799).

The buoy will remain on site for a period of up to five months, after which it will be retrieved by a chartered vessel and the retrieval team.

A Sealight installed on the buoy which will give out five yellow flashes every 20 seconds. The light is visible for up to three nautical miles.

The buoy has a Special Mark as well as a small marker buoy indicating the location of each of the buoy’s moorings.

During the extent of deployment, vessel traffic will need to avoid the area. For both deployment and recovery the VHF channels monitored will be Channel 14 (Killybegs Harbour working channel) and Channel 16.

Details of the deployment are included in Marine Notice No 52 of 2017, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The survey vessel Kommandor Iona is conducting offshore survey operations associated with the proposed Celtic Interconnector, on behalf of EirGrid.

As with last month’s nearshore survey, the current works are in two main corridors to three landfall points off the South Coast of Ireland, namely Ballinwilling Strand, Redbarn Beach, Claycastle Beach.

The Kommandor Iona (Callsign: GAAK) was scheduled to begin operating on a 24-hour daily basis since this Tuesday (24 October) for approximately a week’s duration, collecting geophysical data utilising vessel mounted sensors and towed sonar extending up to 200m from the vessel.

The survey will be conducted under Foreshore Licence FS006722 in the deeper waters offshore from the Iona survey area limits.

Survey activities will extend no more than 35km from the shoreline within a 500m area or corridor centred on the co-ordinates listed in Marine Notice No 47 of 2017, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

Those engaged in fishing are respectfully asked not to leave any static fishing equipment within a distance of 250 metres of the proposed survey route centre lines as detailed in the route position list, and skippers are advised to withdraw and keep beyond a safe distance (1 nautical mile) from survey vessels.

#MarineNotice - PSE Kinsale Energy Limited advises that rock placement works will take place with an associated survey on the Kinsale Head Gas Export Pipeline off the South West Coast of Ireland from today (Wednesday 11 October).

The objective of these works is to stabilise two areas of the export pipeline. The works are expected to last for nine days.

Works will be carried out by the fallpipe rock placement vessel Seahorse (Callsign PCAP). The vessel will have a fallpipe deployed close to the seabed. Regular safety messages will be broadcast on VHF Channel 16.

All vessels, particularly those engaged in fishing, are requested to give the Seahorse a wide berth and keep a sharp lookout in the relevant areas. In case of any doubt, call the Seahorse on VHF Channel 16 and a safe course to follow will be given.

Full details of the work area are included in Marine Notice No 44 of 2017, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that that a cable recovery operation is scheduled take place from next Monday 9 to Wednesday 25 October at locations off the South West Coast.

The work will be carried out by the MV Layla (Callsign V2YX9). Please note that this vessel is restricted in her manoeuvrability and mariners are advised to navigate with caution in the area.

Radio and Pan-Pan alerts will be issued periodically and the MV Layla will be on standby on VHF Channel 16 at all times.

In total, 88km of cable is planned to be recovered. Full details of the operation are included in Marine Notice No 42 of 2017, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - RMS Submarine Ltd advises that they will be conducting nearshore survey operations associated with the proposed Celtic Interconnector on behalf of EirGrid, at three coastal locations in Co Cork — namely Ballinwilling Strand, Redbarn Beach and Claycastle Beach.

The survey vessel Severn Guardian (Callsign 2FGL5), an 18m catamaran coastal survey vessel, will operate on a 12-hour daily basis, in daylight hours only, commencing from today (Thursday 28 September) for the next two weeks, approximately. Common frequency VHF Channel 16 shall be used throughout the project.

This survey is to collect geophysical data utilising vessel mounted sensors and a towed sonar which will extend up to 100m from the vessel. The survey will be conducted under Foreshore Licence FS006722, as per the foreshore licence map included in Marine Notice No 41 of 2017.

The nearshore survey activities will extend no more than 5km from the shoreline, within a 1km area or corridor centred at each of the three coastal locations. The remaining offshore sections will be surveyed by a separate vessel in the coming months, for which a separate notice to mariners will be issued.

Full details of co-ordinates of the work areas and more are included in Marine Notice No 41 of 2017, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The Marine Institute advises that the annual Irish Groundfish Survey (IGFS2017) will be carried out off the North West Coast of Ireland between Tuesday 3 and Saturday 14 October, in fulfilment of Ireland’s Common Fisheries Policy obligations.

The IGFS is a demersal trawl survey consisting of approximately 45 fishing hauls of 30 minutes duration each in ICES area VIa. Fishing in 2017 will take place within a two nautical mile radius of these 45 positions, the approximate locations of which are noted in Marine Notice No 39 of 2017.

The survey will be conducted by the RV Celtic Explorer (Callsign: EIGB), which will display all appropriate lights and signals during the survey and will also be listening on VHF Channel 16. The vessel will be towing a high headline GOV 36/47 demersal trawl during fishing operations.

This survey is to determine the relative annual abundance and distribution of commercially exploited fish stocks, in particular assessment of recent recruitment. In addition, other species of national importance are sampled along with physical and chemical oceanographic parameters.

The Marine Institute requests that commercial fishing and other marine operators keep a two nautical mile area around the tow points clear of any gear or apparatus during the survey period outlined above.

While there is no statutory provision for the loss of gear at sea, the Marine Institute will make every effort to avoid gear, adequately marked according to legislation, that may be encountered in the notified areas. In the event that an operator has static gear or other obstructions within 2nm of the trawl points, it is the responsibility of the owner to notify the survey managers or vessel directly.

This should be communicated by identifying specifically which ‘Prime Station’ is of concern using the appendix and contact details provided in Marine Notice No 39 of 2017, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

It is not required to provide positional details of commercial operations beyond 3-4nm of the survey points provided. Specifics of any fishing gear or other obstructions that are known and cannot be kept clear of these survey haul locations can be notified using the contact details provided in the above Marine Notice.

#MarineNotice - Marine works, including diving, will be carried out by Norfolk Marine to install a diffuser to the newly placed long sea outfall as part of the Donegal Group B Sewerage Scheme.

The works, which include the installation of a navigation aid to mark the outfall position, are expected to begin on Monday 25 September to last between one and two weeks.

The diffuser location will be west of Bundoran at Latitude 54° 28.778’ N and Longitude 08° 19.304’ W.

The diving and installation works will be carried out from the vessel Chateau Thierry (Callsign EI-HK-6). An additional small boat or RIB will also be involved in the operation as
required.

The vessel will display appropriate lights and markers, including the diving ‘Alpha Flag’ during diving operations. Vessel moorings will be marked with appropriate buoys. The vessel will monitor VHF Channel 16 throughout the works.

Further details are included in Marine Notice No 40 of 2017, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.