An ultra-luxury modern expedition cruise ship, the Seabourn Venture, is to call to Killybegs Harbour, Co. Donegal, tomorrow (3 May) marking the start of this year’s season, writes Jehan Ashmore

On hand to welcome tourists will be the team from Killybegs Information Centre which will also look forward to a further 24 cruise ships. Combined, these cruise ships will have 19,757 passengers visiting Killybegs and tourist attractions of the north-west county.

The deepwater port in west Donegal will welcome these cruise-goers from the operator Seabourn Cruise Line (US owned Carnival Corporation) whose expedition ship is paying tribute to the remote destinations visited by the brand's highly successful expedition and Ventures by Seabourn excursion programs.

On board the 120 crew-serving cruise ship, there is a capacity for 264 guests travelling with Seabourn which self-styles itself as operating intimate ships with a private yacht-like atmosphere. The expedition ships feature 132 all veranda, all ocean-front suites, world-class dining, and a luxurious spa.

Seabourn Venture, launched in 2022 along with its twin, Seabourn Pursuit last year, are richly-appointed base camps where guides are on board as part of an Expedition Team. Among the expedition equipment are Zodiacs, kayaks, six-person submarines that allow guests to experience cultural encounters as well as confront rare creatures in the wild.

The twins are designed and built for diverse environments to meet PC6 Polar Class standards. As alluded they feature modern hardware and technology that will extend the ship's global deployment and capabilities.

The Seabourn Venture is scheduled to arrive at the harbour town at 0800 and remain throughout the day until 1800.

While Killybegs harbour is synonymous with the fisheries sector a new video released by Ronan Renewables shows just how the County Donegal port is increasingly catering to the renewable energy sector.

While home to a large portion of the Irish fishing fleet in the winter months, the port is also ideal for affordable import/export and storage for a range of industries.

With open Atlantic ocean access, Killybegs harbour also offers 24/7 ships agency, stevedoring and storage facilities at its 300m pier of 12m draft.

Ronan Group Renewables, headed by Sligo sailor Conor Ronan, who operate out of Killybegs, are directly and indirectly responsible for 200 MW of installed capacity across its onshore assets.

Check out the video below.

#ExploringDonegal - National Geographic Explorer visited Killybegs Harbour yesterday following a voyage along the western seaboard with anchorage calls off Aran Islands and Dingle Peninsula as previously reported here on Afloat, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The call of Lindblad Expeditions /National Geographic's operated 150-passenger cruiseship to Killybegs is the second arrival this season which was opened last week by Le Boreal with a 254 passenger capacity.

A sister of the Companie du Ponant's chic 'boutique' style mega-yacht like vessel, Le Soleal is the next caller due on 24 May. In total 9 cruiseships are scheduled in 2015, surpassing last year itself a record.

More than 6,300 passengers are to visit the town and along this stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way. The main attraction of nearby Slieve League, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe that are 601m (1,972 ft) high above the Atlantic Ocean.

Of the P&O Cruises to visit the north-west, they will be made by the 30,000 tonnes Adonia, with a length of 180.45m (592 ft) and the largest cruiseship to Killybegs in 2015 goes to the 69,000 tonnes Oriana with a length of 260.00m (853.02 ft).

Adonia has a capacity for 710 passengers while Oriana is much greater with 1,822 passengers and a crew of almost 800.