#CRUISE LINERS – In dense sea-fog conditions, three cruiseships arrived into Dublin Bay at dawn and proceeded to dock in Dublin Port, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Of the trio, Kristina Katarina (1982/12,668grt) today made her inaugural call to the port. As previously reported on Afloat.ie she is operated by Finnish owners Kristina Cruises based in Kotka, a city midway between Helsinki and sharing the border with the Russian Federation.

The other vessels, P&O Cruises Adonia (2001/30,277grt) and Silverseas Cruises Cloud (1994/16,927grt) are berthed within Alexandra Basin, nearby Kristina Katarina is moored on the river berth at Ocean Pier.

Reported last month another tree-some of cruiseships gathered in the port, which this year is scheduled to see around 90 such cruise callers during the season.

#CRUISE LINERS - Finnish operated Kristina Katarina is to make her inaugural 'Irish' call this Thursday when she and two other cruiseships are scheduled to arrive in Dublin Port, writes Jehan Ashmore.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the newcomer is run by Kristina Cruises based in Kotka which lies some 50kms from the border with the Russian Federation. In 2010 the former Russian ship was brought to replace the ageing twin funnelled Kristina Regina.

The change of vessel was due to new safety regulations which forced the veteran vessel to withdraw from service with the replacement vessel built in 1982 at the New Szczecin Shipyard. The name of the Polish port city may sound familiar as the city is yet again the presenting sponsor of the prestigious Tall Ship Race Festival due to visit the capital in over a fortnight's time.

Kristina Katarina has a passenger certificate for around 400-passengers and she underwent renovations for her new owners. This saw changes to cabin accommodation where categories begin with the smallest inside cabins of 9m² to high standard ocean view cabins occupying 30m². In total she has a total of 193 cabins and 380 lower beds.

During the renovation new saunas were installed on deck 8 and on the pool deck there are three pools to cater for all the age-profiles of passengers.

After her Irish call she is to visit the Isles of Scilly and then to Brest, marking the end of a cruise. From the Breton port with its naval base, a new cruise embarks with passengers on a week long fly-cruise starting from Helsinki. The itinerary includes calls in Portugal, Gibraltar and Spain, where in Malaga the cruise terminates and a return flight to the Finnish capital.

#MANX FERRY - This busy August Bank Holiday weekend sees the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. Ltd's larger ferry Ben-My-Chree (Manx for 'Girl of my Heart') make an overnight round-trip sailing to Dublin Port, rather than the smaller fast-ferry craft Manannan, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Normally Ben-My-Chree, a conventional ro-pax ferry plies the Douglas-Heysham route, however with this evening's sailing taking 4hrs 45 minutes, she is scheduled to dock in Dublin Port just after midnight.

She is to berth at the same berth used frequently by Irish Ferries, however her turn-around is a mere 45 minutes before she returns to the island. Otherwise the Manannan, a 96m wave-piercing catamaran fast-ferry takes only 2hrs 55 minutes to cover the Irish route which is a seasonal-only service.

Instead Manannan is to operate this evenings Liverpool-Douglas sailing. She will stay overnight in the Manx capital so to take up tomorrow morning's crossing to Belfast, which is also run on a seasonal basis.

#FORMER DUNDALK DREDGER – Hebble Sand (1963/757grt), a grab-hopper dredger which has remained in Dublin Port for more than one year departed Dublin Port and is currently heading for Campbeltown, on the Mull of Kintyre Peninsula, writes Jehan Ashmore.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the veteran vessel was purchased last October by Northern Ireland based Abco Marine Ltd. The marine-plant and engineering equipment company is headquartered in Lisburn. Prior to then the former Dundalk Port Company owned dredger had remained laid-up since her repositioning voyage from the Louth port in July of 2011.

The change of port, followed the transfer of the Dundalk Port Company assets, liabilities and operations to Dublin Port Company by an order of statutory instruments, which saw the capital port divest in the business of dredging.

Since then for the majority of her time spent in the port, she had moored in Alexandra Basin West, except for a short spell spent as reported at the nearby dry-dock facility after Abco brought the ship.

Yesterday she made the short passage across the basin to the river-berth alongside Ocean Pier in readiness for her first repositioning voyage under her new owners, in a career that has so far spanned just short of half a century.

This timeframe is pretty good going for a vessel, particularly engaged in the rough and tumble work of a humble dredger which remains in excellent condition. So her career continues and remarkably still retaining her original name since her launching from Richard (Shipbuilders) of Lowestoft who built her for British Dredging.

In this photo-link of the vessel in recent years, she is seen alongside Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin Port, where she carried site preparatory work prior to the installation of the Samuel Beckett swing-bridge, which was towed on a barge from the Netherlands.

Note to the left of the small ship can be seen the gable-end of the last dockland warehouse sheds that were built on both sides of the campshires that line the Liffey, in an area now named the 'Docklands' quarter of the port.

With cargoships long gone, including the famous Guinness stout-tankers, the sheds historically represent the last such buildings in what was the 'real' docklands close to the inner-city.

One of the two-adjoining sheds (built in the 1880's) was occupied by BJ Marine and now the river-fronted 'Nama' property, formerly owned by the DDDA, have recently been placed on the market for sale or to let.

#CUNARDER REVISIT – Since her launch in 2010, Cunard Line's newest cruiseship the 90,901 tonnes Queen Elizabeth has only called to Dublin Port once and that was last year. She was then on her maiden 'Irish' port of call and the 2068 passenger vessel is to return on Saturday, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Joining her on the schedule of visiting cruiseships this August, which not surprisingly is the busiest period of the high-season, will be Holland America Line's Maasdam. She is to arrive only an hour later that morning.

The month is scheduled to see 28 cruise callers (list) in total, the first caller having already arrived yesterday with the Hebridean Princess staying overnight in the port.

Following the Cunarder's call she will her head overnight bound for Cobh Cruise Terminal, where the Italian built vessel also made an inaugural port of call (list) in 2011.

#CRUISELINERS- She may be one of the smallest cruiseships operating, however Hebridean Princess (1964/2,112grt) which is to call to Dublin Port this evening, is big in terms of her status, writes Jehan Ashmore.

A plaque was unveiled on board in May to recognise that the ship has been granted a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II, as the Royal Family chartered the 5-star luxury vessel in Scottish waters in 2006 and 2010.

The warrant for the provision of cruise holidays came into effect at the start of this year and her owners Hebridean Island Cruises will be the only travel brand honoured in such a way.

The interiors are modelled on those of a large country mansion, where each of 30 cabin suites are individually decorated in opulent style. This is a far cry to her origins as a humble ferry. In that guise she ran as Columba, serving ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne.

This evening she is set to pass through the East-Link toll-lift bridge, due to her smaller dimensions compared to larger cruiseships which have to dock elsewhere in the port. For example today also see 30,000 tonnes sisters Nautica and Azamara Journey dock in Ocean Pier at berths 33 and 37 respectively.

Hebridean Princess is to tie-up on Sir John Rogerson's Quay at berth 8 where she moored last year. In addition this berth was where another equally luxurious vessel the superyacht M.Y. Majestic, which as previously reported called to last weekend. The four-deck Caymen Islands registered vessel is currently on a visit to Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

#CRUISESHIP SISTERS – Oceania Cruises Nautica (2000/30,277grt) currently docked in Dublin Port will later today be joined by a sister, Azamara Journey, operated by Azamara Club Cruises, writes Jehan Ashmore

Azamara Journey had departed Leith and is heading through the Irish Sea and is expected to arrive in the capital port around mid-afternoon.

Both vessels (circa 680 passengers) form part of an original eight-strong sister fleet of French built 'R' class ships ordered for Renaissance Cruises, which ceased trading in 2001, resulting in the splitting of the ships to various owners.

Incidentally Oceania Cruises also operate two more such sisters. Regatta built as R Five and Insignia, the former R1, the lead-ship of the series all having the previous owner's rather simplistic naming theme. Likewise Azamara Club Cruises operate the former R Seven, rechristened Azamara Quest.

Another 'R' class sister operating for P&O Cruises, the Adonia, which led the seven-strong spectacular sail-past in Southampton waters for the 'Grand Event' to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the famous company, is due to call to Foynes in a fortnight's time.

Noting that Adonia, led the liner line-up which included Arcadia (as previously reported), seen third in line astern and where each ship set off on separate cruises as they headed out of the Solent.

#PORTS & SHIPPING REVIEW - Over the last fortnight Jehan Ashmore has reported from the Ports & Shipping Scene which saw trade volumes in Drogheda Port continue to rise. An increase of over 44% was recorded for the first six months of 2012 compared to the same period last year.

Off the west coast, a record breaking 48 tonnes of silver bullion has been recovered from the wreck of S.S. Gairsoppa, a 412-ft British cargoship that was torpedoed by U-Boat in WWII.

The Competition Authority is to conduct an in depth review of how our ports perform and how they are to be funded and to examine whether Dublin Port has an economically dominant position.

A boost on all fronts for traffic figures on Stena Line's Belfast-Birkenhead (Liverpool) route was welcomed by the ferry operator which completed the takeover of operations from DFDS Seaways last summer.

Single-route operator Celtic Link Ferries reached an agreement with Rosslare Europort, to end a stalemate in over €100,000 relating to unpaid port landing fees.

Deutschland, one of the three cruiseships that visited Dublin Port last weekend completed its cruise in London, where the vessel is currently moored as a floating hotel for the German Olympic Sports Federation.

Belfast M.P. Nigel Dodds is leading a campaign to keep the WWI battleship cruiser HMS Caroline, the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland, from leaving the city. The 1914 built ship could be moved to Portsmouth for preservation or even face scrapping.

At the other end of the island, Cork based Irish Mainport Holdings has acquired a new seismic-support ship. The vessel renamed Mainport Kells has recently taken up a long-term charter contract for clients operating in the North Sea.

#SUPERYACHT – The elegant streamlined luxury 60m/200ft motoryacht M.Y. Majestic is to dock in Dublin’s Port this evening, having departed Norway via Scottish waters, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The Caymen Islands registered 12-guest charter-yacht (view gallery) which has a crew of 15 to serve clients normally in the warmer climes of the Caribbean and Mediterranean.

On her visit to Dublin she is to moor midway alongside Sir John Rogersons Quay in the heart of the 'Docklands' quarter.

The motoryacht has a skylounge, which offers private vantage point for bird’s eye views. From here guests have the option to convert the lounge into a cinema with a 100-inch screen and a choice of more than 800 on-demand movie titles.

She was built in 2007 by Feadship, the same Dutch yard that completed the M.Y. Air which called to Cork in May. Majestic has two VIP staterooms, in which the stateroom on the lower deck takes up the full beam (10.9m/34ft) and is approached by its own guest lounge. The other accommodation is for five double en-suite cabins.

As to be expected of the millionaires’ yacht, there is an extensive array of leisure toys on board, be it through the use of two tenders (over 23ft), 3-man wave-runners, hobie kayaks, waterskis, wakeboards, scuba equipment facilities for 8 persons and for those snorkelling up to 12. All this is backed up by a Zodiac rescue boat, however for those not wanting to get their feet wet there’s the gym!

She is powered by a pair of CAT 3516 engines which generate 2000hp (1492kw) each, which deliver a cruising speed of 14knots, though if required this can increased to 16 knots.

#TREESOME CRUISECALLS – This morning three cruiseships arrived into Dublin Bay and all within less than an hour. Currently the trio are berthed closely together in the centre of Dublin port, which this year expects to see around 90 such vessels visiting this season, writes Jehan Ashmore.

First to arrive was Holland America Line's Prinsendam (1988/37,983grt) from Liverpool, followed by Swan Hellenic's Minerva (1996/12,449grt) from Portsmouth and lastly Peter Deilmann's Deutschland (1998/22,496grt) from Douglas.

In 2011 around 200 large cruise vessels visited Irish shores carrying more than 308,000 passengers and crew. The cruise sector in fact has doubled in terms of visitors, in just over 7 years when 142 cruise ships called in 2004 bringing more than 146,000 passengers and crew.

Large ports such as Dublin, Cork and Belfast handled over 85% of the total cruiseship visitor numbers in 2011. Of these ports only Dublin saw an increase, leaving the others remaining relatively unchanged. However, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, the opening earlier this year of Titanic Belfast is attracting more cruise calls to Belfast.