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Displaying items by tag: Dr. Robert Ballard

The Co. Wicklow based Maritime Management has been awarded the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accreditation by the international accreditation body Germanischer Lloyd. The award to Maritime Management marks the company as a unique provider of ship management services based
in Ireland.
"These awards show our dedication to delivering high quality ship management services, beyond the strict compliance required in this highly regulated industry," said Jan Berg, managing director of Maritime Management.

"Achieving ISO 14001 accreditation, an internationally recognised green standard, shows our respect of the sensitive marine environment and has been well received by our international and Irish clients. It is of particular significance to our clients involved in underwater exploration and scientific research and those involved in the transport of agricultural produce either refrigerated or in bulk."

Maritime Management has an international client base with a diverse range of vessels. Services include technical, operational and crewing for specialist passenger ships, cargoships, refrigerated cargo ships and specialist vessels such as the exploration vessel EV Nautilus.

The vessel is managed on behalf of the famous undersea explorer Dr. Robert Ballard, who is known best for his discovery of the Titanic, PT 109 and the Bismark. Over the last two years Maritime Management has carried out major work to adapt the vessel to suit the requirements of broadcasters National Geographic and CBS.

The work carried outon the vessel has the ground breaking ability to broadcast live HD video from the ocean floor. This enabled scientific teams from the USA and around the world to interact in real time with the underwater operations. To read more about the work of the EV Nautilus and the mapping of underwater volcanoes, life forms,shipwrecks and more click here.

Maritime Management's projects in Ireland have included the design and construction of the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) RV Keary, a small yet high-tech survey vessel which was built in South Africa. The 15m asymmetrical catamaran is constructed of aluminium and has a speed of 15 knots. The craft has a Marine Survey Office P5 license for 12 passengers. For further technical details click here.

Published in Ports & Shipping

Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset

 

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

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