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During the process of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, there was, rightly, a great deal of focus in public debate on the issues confronting Ireland’s border communities. On 20 November 2020, the Irish Association for Contemporary European Studies (IACES) will be holding an online conference which aims to expand the terms of this debate, and to examine and deepen understanding of a key issue in Ireland’s relationship with the EU – that of the future of those coastal and port communities which, at the end of the transition period, will find themselves on a new frontier between the EU and the UK.

Bringing together academics, experts and stakeholders, this online conference and workshop aims to explore the key role played by Ireland’s ports, coastal communities and maritime sector in its membership of the EU; provide a forum in which issues confronting Ireland’s port and coastal communities as a result of Brexit, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic can be discussed; and, crucially, highlight how responses to these challenges are framed and influenced by Ireland’s EU membership.

​The conference will examine contemporary challenges for Ireland's ports, coasts and maritime sector, explore community projects that cross the maritime border between Ireland and Wales, and examine the long history of Ireland's cultural connections with the sea. Attendance is open to all, and further details and registration are available here.

Published in Ports & Shipping

#Ports&ShippingReview – Over the last fortnight, Jehan Ashmore has reported on the shipping scene where Ardmore Shipping was delivered a 25,000dwt tanker newbuild, Ardmore Cheyenne from a Japanese shipyard.

Phase one of work continues on a major €50m investment of Foynes Port to transform the Shannon Estuary port into one of the biggest bulk harbours in Europe.

Rotterdam's new Maasvlakte 2 (MV2) container-terminal run by AMPT has been hitting back over claims of a slower than expected rollout of its operations with delays causing current traffic congestion at Europe's biggest container port.

The International Association of Port Cities (AIVP) will host its AGM for 2015 in Dublin next month ahead of the June Bank Holiday weekend. 'Working Waterfront' is the topic of the two-day meeting.

Due to high levels of interest in the inaugural Maritime Industry Awards (18 June) the entry deadline has been extended for companies to submit in the award categories to 23 April.

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.

© Afloat 2020