#MarineNotice - In response to recommendations by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB), Marine Notice No 26 of 2015 has been issued to promote and highlight the Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft, as well as to underline the legal requirements in relation to the wearing and proper care of personal flotation devices, or PFDs.

It is the responsibility of owners and operators of recreational craft to ensure that a vessel is properly operated, maintained and equipped. The Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft assists with this responsibility by providing safety information on legislative requirements in a simple and user-friendly way, and by giving straightforward safety advice and guidance on best practice in relation to vessel standards, equipment and operation for different types of recreational craft and their areas of operation.

The code is available free of charge on request from the Maritime Safety Policy Division (email [email protected]) and is also available to view or download from www.safetyonthewater.ie or from the DTTAS website HERE.

Requirements for the use of PFDs, meanwhile, are detailed in Marine Notices No 45 of 2012 and No 39 of 2013 as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that Osiris Projects were last week scheduled to begin marine survey operations off the south coast in the Celtic Sea.

The marine surveys will extend from the shoreline at two locations in Co Cork across the sea to the shoreline at two locations in northern France.

The survey was set to start on Monday 1 June 2015 to last for approximately three weeks, weather permitting. The survey will be conducted by the MV Proteus (Callsign 2HBL7).

The marine surveys will extend from the shoreline at Ballinwilling Strand (main route) and Ballycroneen Beach (alternative route), across the Celtic Sea, passing the Isles of Scilly, to the French coast west of Roscoff at Moguériec (main route) and Pontusval (alternative route).

The corridor width for each landing will be 250 metres from the high water mark to the 10-metre contour, then the corridor will widen to 500m as the route moves to France.

The survey vessel may be found running both along the corridor, and in the general vicinity of the survey corridor. The survey areas are small boxes which are shown in the detail plan HERE.

Survey operations will involve towing survey equipment on and below the water surface, up to 300m behind the vessel. All vessels, particularly those engaged in fishing, are requested to give the MV Proteus and her towed equipment a wide berth and keep a sharp lookout in the relevant areas.

Full co-ordinates for the relevant work areas are detailed in Marine Notice No 25 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notices from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advise of the pre-laying of anchors in the Corrib Gas Field ahead of the arrival of the Ocean Guardian rig, and an inshore seawater sampling survey in the vicinity of the field.

Staring tomorrow and continuing for three days, Shell E&P Ireland Limited will employ the Boa Bison (Call Sign: LDPN) to pre-lay eight anchors on the sea bed in the Corrib Field prior to the arrival of the semi-submersible drilling rig.

The anchors will remain at the locations indicated HERE until the arrival of the Ocean Guardian rig (Call Sign: V7FF7) around the second week of this month, when the anchors will then be attached to the rig.

The Ocean Guardian rig is due to commence operations on well 18/25-1(P2) in the second week of June and remain on location until the end of July/early August. The rig will be listening on VHF Channel 16 throughout the project.

All vessels, particularly those engaged in fishing, are requested to give the rig a wide berth and to keep a sharp lookout in the relevant areas. Full co-ordinates of all work areas are included in Marine Notice No 22 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

Meanwhile, an inshore seawater sampling survey is taking place in the vicinity of the Corrib treated surface water outfall diffuser, off the coast of Mayo.

The works, undertaken from the SMS Leah (Callsign MHIU8), were set to begin yesterday Tuesday 2 June and last for around three days, weather permitting. Co-ordinates of the relevant sampling areas are included in Marine Notice No 23 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - Marine Notice No 21 of 2015 from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that Shell E&P Ireland Ltd will be deploying a waverider buoy in late May 2015, weather permitting, in order to help predict sea conditions for the Corrib P2 well intervention work by the Ocean Guardian (Callsign V7FF7).

The buoy size is 90cm in diameter, and is set to be deployed at co-ordinates 54°19.285’N, 011°05.544’W (WGS84) approximate, with a 100m watch circle. The water depth at this location is 336 metres.

The waverider buoy will remain on site for approximately three months. Pictured here, it is yellow in colour and will flash yellow five times every 20 seconds.

All vessels are requested to give the waverider buoy a wide berth.

#MarineNotice - Marine Notice No 8 of 2005 supplemented by Marine Notice No 16 of 2011 provided information on eight types of liferaft, which the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) accepts for use on small fishing vessels that are not required to carry a SOLAS/MED-approved liferaft.

The department now advises, in Marine Notice No 20 of 2015, that an additional liferaft has been deemed acceptable for use on such vessels. For clarity, the complete list – including the additional liferaft type now added – is shown below.

Accepted non-SOLAS/non-MED inflatable liferafts:

• DSB 4 - Person Inflatable Liferaft with “SOLAS B Pack”
• RFD Surviva 4 - Person Inflatable Liferaft with “SOLAS B Pack”
• RFD SEASAVA PRO ISO 9650 4 - Person Inflatable Liferaft with “SOLAS B Pack”
• Viking DK 4 - Person Inflatable Liferaft with “SOLAS B Pack”
• Zodiac 4 - Person Inflatable Liferaft with “SOLAS B Pack”
• EUROVINIL ISO/DIS 9650 4 - Person Inflatable Liferaft with “SOLAS B Pack”
• Sea-Safe 4 person inflatable liferaft :ISO 9650.1 group A Type 1 with “SOLAS B pack”
• Seago - ISO 9650-1 SOLAS B pack – 4 PERSON Liferaft
• Haining, Liferaft model HNF-YT IS09650-1 – with SOLAS B pack

#MarineNotice - Maintenance and pre-commissioning activities are set to be carried out on the Corrib Gas Field.

The work will all take place within the 500m Safety Zone surrounding the Corrib subsea facilities, and will be carried out by the Normand Subsea (Callsign 2CQP8).

Works will commence around 1 June 2015 and are expected to be completed by the end of the month, weather permitting.

Full details of co-ordinates of the work area are included in Marine Notice No 17 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#HiberniaExpress - The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport advises that TE SubCom, on behalf of Hibernia Express, is carrying out a route clearance operation and a pre-lay grapnel run along the Hibernia Express cable route using the M/V Ile d’Aix (Callsign FICI) and M/V Atlantic Guardian (Callsign HO6566.

The operations, which follow earlier work on the same subsea cable route in March, commenced on 17 and 13 May 2015 respectively are expected to last until the end of June 2015, weather permitting.

The vessels will be towing grapnels astern at a distance depending on water depth, and as such, will be restricted in their ability to manoeuvre.

All vessels are requested to give these operation a wide berth. The project vessels will be listening on VHF Channel 16 throughout the project.

Details of co-ordinates for both vessels' work areas are included in Marine Notices Nos 18 and 19 of 2015, available to read or download HERE and HERE.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises that construction works have been extended at North Harbour on Cape Clear Island in West Cork.

The works involve the construction of a slipway; replacement of the Bull's Nose structure incorporating a storm gate and an extension to the end of Duffy's Pier; excavation, dredging and reclamation works including the construction of an armoured embankment at the seaward side of the new Bull's Nose.

For safety reasons, mariners are requested to proceed slowly and with caution in the approach to the entrance to North Harbour and to give the works a wide berth. Wave-wash from vessels should be avoided. Divers will be deployed throughout the underwater works.

North Harbour will remain operational throughout the works, which are expected to be ongoing until the end of 2015. Details of the work area are included in Marine Notice No 2 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

#MarineNotice - The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) advises of the most recent list of approved training course providers under STCW 78.

These providers are approved to provide training for the various ancillary courses under the provisions of the Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers 1978 (STCW 78), as amended (including the Manila Amendments of 2010).

Names, addresses and contact details for the various approved training course providers are detailed in the annex to Marine Notice No 1 of 2015, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

It is important to note that this annex is an evolving document and is therefore subject to change. It is recommended that the website be used to see the most recent copy of this Marine Notice. Marine Notice No 33 of 2013 is hereby withdrawn.

#ebola – The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has been requested to publicise the attached (downloadable below as a word file) Health Service Executive letter regarding the submission of a Maritime Declaration of Health for ships docking at Irish ports, which have called at an Ebola EVD affected area or have crew/passengers that joined the vessel from such an area, or are suspected of having been in contact with the Ebola virus or an affected person within the past.