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Displaying items by tag: Cargo Increase

#Ports - Drogheda Port Company handled over 1.2 million tonnes of cargo in 2014, an increase of 17% on 2013.

The port outperformed the Irish port sector in terms of year on year throughput growth for the third year running. The latest national volumes indicate that the volume of port and shipping traffic through the Republic of Ireland are slowly recovering.

Against this backdrop the port's volume growth is particularly impressive. Throughput volumes for 2014 are the highest recorded since 2005 when a record throughput of 1.4 million tonnes was achieved. The total value of goods traded through the port in 2014 was over €425 million.

A number of capital investments in the port were made in 2014 by the private sector with the aquisition of new cranes. The port has invested in new warehousing to be completed in 2015 and will expand the throughput capacity of the port and its role in the region supporting export businesses.

Nationally and internationally the outlook for the sector in 2015 remains challenging but positive, notwithstanding the current uncertainty in the financial markets.

Commenting on the ports performance CEO Mr Paul Fleming said “The company is pleased to report that trade volumes are continuing to increase significantly year on year. It is quite clear from the volume growth that the economy is starting to grow again and construction industry imports are increasing. It is also extremely positive for a number of indigenous companies who are exporting increasing volumes of product to the UK and Europe”

He also noted “The company will continue to support the local tourist economy with plans to provide facilities for cruise calls and the now established Irish Maritime Festival again taking place in the heart of the working port in June. The company are also supporting the development of the Boyneside greenway from Mornington to Drogheda.”

Published in Ports & Shipping

The Kingstown to Queenstown Yacht Race or 'K2Q', previously the Fastnet 450

The Organising Authority ("OA") are ISORA & SCORA in association with The National Yacht Club & The Royal Cork Yacht Club.

The Kingstown to Queenstown Race (K2Q Race) is a 260-mile offshore race that will start in Dun Laoghaire (formerly Kingstown), around the famous Fastnet Rock and finish in Cork Harbour at Cobh (formerly Queenstown).

The  K2Q race follows from the successful inaugural 'Fastnet 450 Race' that ran in 2020 when Ireland was in the middle of the COVID Pandemic. It was run by the National Yacht Club, and the Royal cork Yacht Club were both celebrating significant anniversaries. The clubs combined forces to mark the 150th anniversary of the National Yacht Club and the 300th (Tricentenary) of the Royal Cork Yacht Club.

Of course, this race has some deeper roots. In 1860 the first-ever ocean yacht race on Irish Waters was held from Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) to Queenstown (now Cobh).

It is reported that the winner of the race was paid a prize of £15 at the time, and all competing boats got a bursary of 10/6 each. The first race winner was a Schooner Kingfisher owned by Cooper Penrose Esq. The race was held on July 14th 1860, and had sixteen boats racing.

In 2022, the winning boat will be awarded the first prize of a cheque for €15 mounted and framed and a Trophy provided by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in the world.

The 2022 race will differ from the original course because it will be via the Fastnet Rock, so it is a c. 260m race, a race distance approved by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club as an AZAB qualifier. 

A link to an Afloat article written by WM Nixon for some history on this original race is here.

The aim is to develop the race similarly to the Dun Laoghaire–Dingle Race that runs in alternate years. 

Fastnet 450 in 2020

The South Coast of Ireland Racing Association, in association with the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay and the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cork, staged the first edition of this race from Dun Laoghaire to Cork Harbour via the Fastnet Rock on August 22nd 2020.

The IRC race started in Dun Laoghaire on Saturday, August 22nd 2020. It passed the Muglin, Tuscar, Conningbeg and Fastnet Lighthouses to Starboard before returning to Cork Harbour and passing the Cork Buoy to Port, finishing when Roches's Point bears due East. The course was specifically designed to be of sufficient length to qualify skippers and crew for the RORC Fastnet Race 2021.

At A Glance – K2Q (Kingstown to Queenstown) Race 2024

The third edition of this 260-nautical mile race starts from the National Yacht Club on Dublin Bay on July 12th 2024 finishes in Cork Harbour.

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