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Displaying items by tag: Farra Orla

Farra Marine Ltd is a new company set up in Dublin. It is a CTV (Crew Transfer Vessel) owner and operator and has had the first in a new line of catamaran wind farm vessels built by Penguin Shipyard in Singapore, Asia.  As Afloat reported a year ago, Farra Orla will be the first of its kind to operate from Ireland.

The 27m catamaran ship is presently docked in Bangor on Belfast Lough having arrived on December 5th. She will stay till the New Year. The Irish Ambassador to Singapore Pat Bourne and his wife Sonali Rajasingham attended the official naming ceremony in Singapore.

The Farra Orla in Bangor Harbour Photo: Bangor MarinaThe Farra Orla in Bangor Harbour Photo: Bangor Marina

The management team headed by owner and CEO Martin Rice, has been actively involved in the offshore wind sector for several years and has worked extensively across the UK and Europe on various renewable energy projects.

The Farra Orla voyaged to Europe via the Suez Canal, arriving in Ireland at Arklow in November. It is understood the company has plans for 10 more vessels, the second of which, the Farra Ciara is due for delivery this month ahead of schedule.

Farra CiaraFarra Ciara

The Farra Orla is the third in Penguin’s Windflex 27 series, which Australian designers Incat Crowther say offers excellent speed, deadweight and seakeeping, making it capable of many roles in the offshore wind industry.

An interior shot of Farra OrlaAn interior shot of Farra Orla

The vessel has a deadweight above 50 tonnes and features two working decks. A large working deck forward equipped with a deck crane can accommodate up to four 10-foot containers or two 20-foot. The aft deck can accommodate a 10-foot container. Both decks have multiple tie-down points for flexibility, accommodating every possible requirement or spares and equipment. Her service speed is 25 knots with a max of 31knots.

Inside the main cabin is a large wet room with multiple showers, toilets, and lockers. The main deck passenger space is large and open, with forward visibility, seating 24 personnel in comfortable suspended seats.

It will be the first of a new generation of offshore support vessels, able to stay at sea longer, work in increased weather limits and provide the greatest level of safety and comfort for those onboard.

Published in Belfast Lough

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.

© Afloat 2020