Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Rosslare Eurport

#ShippingReview - Jehan Ashmore reviews the shipping scene from among the following stories of recent weeks.

‘Safe and sustainable’ marine transport and ‘delivery of emergency management services’ have been made a high level goal in the Department of Transport’s Statement of Strategy 2016-2019

UK shipbuilder Cammell Laird saw profits and sales fall last year – but the shipyard on Merseyside where Irish Ferries flagship Ulysses (currently drydocking) remains upbeat to win more contracts.

Ardmore Shipping Corporation the product/chemical tanker operator which has its Principal Operating Office in Cork City has made several appointments to overseas offices.

To prepare for a hard Brexit, Enterprise Ireland is advising firms here amid growing signs the British government may opt to quit the single market in order to regain full control over immigration.

County councillors from all main parties of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown expressed concern at potential financial liabilities in the transfer of Dún Laoghaire Harbour.

In recent weeks at Rosslare Europort dredger Sospan Dau carried out work within the harbour to remove spoil offshore, benefitting not just ferries but cruiseships and timber trading cargoships.

Arklow Castle was launched in the Netherlands as the third ‘C’ class newbuild of a 10-ship order from ASL. The 5,054dwt cargoship slid into the canal at Ferus Smit shipyard in Westerbroek.

Published in Dredging

#BusyScene- Rosslare Europort is busier than normal as vessels involved in dredging undergo there business while routine ferry operations continue, albeit this morning's Stena Line sailing to Fishguard was cancelled, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Stena Line cited that the Stena Europe had technical problems. She is this evening making a St. Georges Channel sailing heading to Rosslare from where passengers will be accommodated on the ship's sailing tonight departing as usual at 21.15hrs for Fishguard.

A fleetmate, Stena Horizon which operates Rosslare-Cherbourg service is berthed at the Irish port. On the adjacent berth was short-sea tanker, Mersey Spirit (1996/1,467grt) which departed after mid-afternoon. The 77m long tanker had docked in Rosslare having sailed from Liverpool docks to discharge bunkers used for Stena Line.

Stena also have bunker shipments supplied to Holyhead for the two-ship operated route to Dublin Port. The most recent caller late last month was Keewhit (2003/2,315grt) also measuring 77m in length.  She too departed from Merseyside but from Eastham on the Wirral Peninsula.

Stena Horizon, formerly Celtic Horizon which served Celtic Link Ferries until the Wexford based ferry firm was acquired earlier this year, would during CLF days have taken on bunkers at Cherbourg.

As alluded the dredging work is been carried out by Sospan Dau (1978/1,546 tonnes), a Dutch registered suction-trailer dredger along with assistance from Irish tug workboat, Trojan.

The dredger goes back and forth from the sand deposits that have built up along the breakwater and to dumping grounds off Rosslare Strand.

Amongst the shipping traffic, the RNLI's lifeboat is moored at the harbour's lifeboat station which is located between the port's two piers.

Published in Ferry

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