#MarineNotice - The first Marine Notice of 2016 from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) is deploying 10 Ocean Bottom Seismometers for a period of seven months off the North West Coast of Ireland.

The OBS units will be deployed from the Marine Institute vessel RV Celtic Voyager between 13 and 22 January. They will be free-falled to the bottom and anchored by a 400kg clump weight.

The OBS units in shallow water will have a yellow surface marker buoy and a yellow flashing light with the following characteristics: FL (5) Y 20s and with a range of 2 nautical miles.

Station 1 will be located close to the M4 Weather Buoy which is the subject of a prior marine notice (No 11 of 2007).

As this is sensitive scientific equipment, it is requested that fisherman and marine operators engaged in such activities as bottom trawling or laying of static gear avoid the locations concerned to avoid damaging the equipment or damaging fishing gear.

Full co-ordinates of the OBS locations are included in Marine Notice No 1 of 2016, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that a Marine Institute monkfish and megrim trawl survey will be carried out off the west and southwest coasts of Ireland between 4 and 24 January 2016.

The survey consists of a maximum of 70 fishing stations of one-hour duration each in ICES (International Council for Exploration of the Sea) areas VIIb, c,g, h,j.

Approximate positions for these hauls are given in Figure 1 and Table 1 included in Marine Notice No 52 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

Bottom trawling will take place within a 3-nautical0mile radius of these locations.

The survey will be conducted by the RV Celtic Explorer (Callsign: EIGB). The vessel will display all appropriate lights and signal during the survey and will also be listening on VHF Channel 16.

She will be towing a commercial monkfish demersal trawl during fishing operations. The Marine Institute would request commercial fishermen to keep a 3-nautical-mile area around the tow points clear of all commercial gear during the period.

While there is no statutory provision for the loss of fishing gear, the Marine Institute will make every effort to avoid gear adequately marked according to legislation (Articles 9-17 of EU Regulation 404-2011) that may have drifted into the notified areas.

In the event that a fisherman has static gear or other obstructions within 3 nautical miles of the points listed above, it is the responsibility of the owner to notify the survey managers or vessel directly via the following contacts:

• Aodhan Fitzgerald, Marine Institute: 087 248 8765
• Hans Gerritsen: [email protected]

#MarineNotice - Marine Notice No 50 of 2015 advises that dredging and cathodic protection works have commenced this week, weather permitting, at An Daingean Fishery Harbour Centre in Co Kerry.

The dredging works involve the removal of an existing disused slipway and dredging of the seabed material within the vicinity of the slipway in the eastern basin.

The cathodic protection works involves the installation, commission and testing of a cathodic protection system, along 209m of sheet pile wall on the east side of the main pier.

The dredging works are being advanced by a marine contractor working from two barges, 30x11m and 30x17m in size respectively, using heavy civil engineering plant and machinery, work vessels and platforms. Divers will be employed on-site to install anodes to the sheet piles on the east side of the main pier.

For safety reasons, mariners are requested to proceed slowly and with caution in the eastern basin and berthing on the east side of the main pier of An Daingean Fishery Harbour Centre, and to give the works a wide berth. Wave-wash from vessels should be avoided.

These works are expected to be ongoing until end of January 2016, weather permitting. For further information, contact An Daingean Harbourmaster’s Office at 066 915 1629.

#MarineNotice - Marine Notice No 47 of 2015 from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that the Defence Forces will conduct live surface-to-air firing practices at the Gormanston Ranges on Tuesday 6 October from 10am to 12 noon.

The danger area comprises the lands of Gormanston Aerodrome and the air and sea areas contained within a radius of 3 nautical miles centred on it, with an additional area contained within a segment centred on the aerodrome and bearing of 015 degrees true, through Mosney Railway Station and 106 degrees true, through Gormanston Railway Station seawards for a distance of 10 nautical miles.

For the periods whilst the range is active, the sea zone within the danger area is excluded to all vessels. A Naval Service patrol vessel will enforce the exclusion zone ‘D1’ as indicated on British Admiralty Chart No 44.

All vessels are advised that they are required to remain outside of the exclusion zone whilst the range is active, and are recommended to carefully monitor the Radio Navigation Warnings that will be broadcast during the firing period.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that ESB International is carrying out a geotechnical survey at the WestWave ocean energy site off the coast of Killard, Co Clare this week.

The survey started Tuesday 22 September and will last between eight and 11 days, weather permitting.

The RV Celtic Voyager (callsign EIQN) is carrying out the work, deploying equipment such as a Vibrocore and a cone penetrometer.

The vessel will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre while carrying out the survey, and all vessels, particularly those engaged in fishing, are requested to give this operation a wide berth and keep a sharp lookout in the relevant areas.

The work vessel will be listening on VHF Channel 16 throughout the project.

Full details of co-ordinates are included in Marine Notice No 46 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - A new Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that the annual Irish groundfish survey will be take place off the northwest coast from 19-30 September.

Carried out by the Marine Institute in fulfilment of Ireland’s CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) obligations, IGFS 2015 is a demersal trawl survey consisting of a minimum of 45 fishing hauls each of 35 minutes duration.

The survey will be conducted by the RV Celtic Explorer (Callsign EIGB), which will display all appropriate lights and signal during the survey and will also be listening on VHF Channel 16. She will be towing a high headline GOV 36/47 demersal trawl during fishing operations.

The Marine Institute requests commercial fishermen to keep a 2-nautical-mile area around the tow points clear of all commercial gear during the period/. While there is no statutory provision for the loss of fishing gear, the Marine Institute will make every effort to avoid gear adequately marked, according to legislation, that may have drifted into the notified areas.

In the event that a fisherman has static gear or other obstructions within 2nm of the points listed in Marine Notice No 43 of 2015, it is the responsibility of the owner to notify the survey managers or vessel directly using the contact information provided.

Full details of the survey area are available as a PDF to read download HERE.

#MarineNotice - Mariners in the waters of Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone are advised to keep watch for debris that may fall into the sea after a pending Soyuz rocket launch between today 11 September and Monday 21 September.

Marine Notice No 42 of 2015 has co-ordinates of the area where parts are expected to fall following the launch of the Soyuz VS12 space rocket from Kourou Spaceport in French Guyana.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) comes into force in Ireland on 21 July 2015.

The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) was adopted at the 94th International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Maritime Session on 23 February 2006 in Geneva.

The MLC seeks to ensure that the employment and social rights of seafarers are fully implemented. It will enter into force for Ireland on 21 July 2015, 12 months after the date on which Ireland’s ratification was registered with the ILO.

Details for the survey and certification of ships of 500 GT or over; inspection for compliance of ships less than 500 GT; and onboard complaint procedures are included in Marine Notice No 30 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that a wave measuring device has been installed on the seabed at Dingle Fishery Harbour Centre.

The wave study is being carried out by the Marine Engineering Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and is expected to be ongoing until early September 2015, weather permitting.

For safety reasons, mariners are requested to keep a sharp lookout and to proceed slowly and with extreme caution in this vicinity. Fishermen are requested to take great care when dredging near the location of the device and keep a wide berth.

A yellow floating marker buoy with a special mark beacon has been installed to indicate the location of the device. A photograph of what the buoy looks like in the water and the co-ordinates of its placement are included in Marine Notice No 29 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that Bibby Hydromap is scheduled to carry out marine survey operations along the proposed interconnector route between Ireland and France.

Similar to the recent geophysical surveys of the same route, the marine surveys will extend from the shoreline at two locations (Ballinwilling Strand main route and Ballycroneen Beach alternative route), to the north coast of France near Roscoff.

The survey will comprise of 250 geotechnical locations between the 10-metre contours of both countries. The survey vessel will be in DP (stationary) while collecting samples and a wide berth is required.

Survey operations were expected to start on Thursday 11 June 2015 and will run until 30 July 2015, weather permitting.

Survey works will be undertaken on the survey vessel RRS Ernest Shackleton (Callsign ZDLS1). The vessel will operate on a 24-hour basis, will display appropriate day shapes and lights during survey operations and will actively transmit an AIS signal.

Survey operations will involve towing survey equipment below the surface up to 600m behind the vessel. A wide berth is requested at all times as the vessel will be restricted in her ability to manoeuvre.

All vessels, particularly those engaged in fishing, are requested to give the RRS Ernest Shackleton and her towed equipment a wide berth and keep a sharp lookout in the relevant areas.

Further details of the marine survey area are included in Marine Notice No 27 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.