#Angling - The 1st Meath Adventure Scouts from Dunboyne and Sphere 17 youth group from Darndale in north Dublin recently participated in a visit on board the Irish Naval Service vessel LÉ Ciara.

During a short break in Dublin Port to refuel on 25 July, the ship's commanding officer gave kind permission for a visit on board, which was facilitated by the Dublin Angling Initiative (DAI) of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).

The two youth groups were given a comprehensive tour of the ship, which included talks on naval duties, life at sea, navigation and weapon systems, fisheries protection and naval recruitment opportunities.

A key component of the DAI is to highlight the importance of fisheries conservation, and the initiative says visits aboard Irish naval ships are an extension of that sector.

DAI co-ordinator Oisin Cahill said: “We are delighted to work with the young people and youth leaders from 1st Meath Adventure Scouts and Sphere 17 Darndale. It is great to see the youth groups engage on the issue of conservation through enjoyable and interesting experiences such as this one.

"The Dublin Angling Initiative also introduces youths to the pursuit of angling. Angling is a wide and varied pursuit which can be sedentary or active, practiced socially or in solitude and appeals to a wide range of people of all ages including young people.

"We hope that by introducing these young people to angling, it might spark their interest and lead to them pursuing it as a hobby. It is vital that we engage communities around the aquatic landscape and encourage interest in important issues such as conservation and the environment.”

The DAI aims to promote, develop and improve angling in the greater Dublin area. During the summer months, young people from national and secondary schools, summer projects and youth services are taken out on fishing courses.

To date, thousands of young people have been introduced to sea, coarse and game angling, and the initiative has been a catalyst in setting up fishing clubs for many of these young people.

The DAI welcomes enquiries from all groups or individuals interested in its programmes and services. For further information visit www.fisheriesireland.ie or contact Oisin Cahill at [email protected].

#CruiseTallShip – Standing out more than most, German premium brand, Sea Cloud Cruises ultra-luxury ‘windjammer’ Sea Cloud II, overnighted in Dublin Port as part of turnaround cruise, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The Hamburg based five-star operator of the modern yet majestic cruise ship, offers discerning guests an atmosphere of a very private yacht in which she can be also chartered. She is moored close to the Tom Clarke toll-bridge.

In addition cruise-lovers, limited to just 94 guests on board Sea Cloud II, can discover their passion for classic sailing ships, while also becoming devotees of great voyages. With a length overall of 117 m / 384 ft, the elegant lady of the sea has expansive decks and when under full sail, she totals 3,000 m² / 32,000 sq ft.

As for guest facilities they are spread over Sea Cloud II’s four decks. There is a lido deck with bar, lounge including laptops, a boutique, library, restaurant, all in which are imbued with stylish comfort, as to be expected given her 5-star status. In addition to the swim-platform, fitness area, gym and sauna.

Of the 47 outside cabins, here are further details of the range available. Of this total, 29 cabins feature a shower/WC, 16 junior suites with bathtub/WC and 2 luxury owner suites with bathtub and shower/WC).

Also on board is equipped a hospital zone.

Sea Cloud will depart for Campbeltown, Scotland, this afternoon. She is to return to Dublin and also Cork later this month. This will be a ten-night Dublin-Bilbao cruise beginning on 20 August followed by a next day port of call to the southern city.

On arrival in Bilbao on the northern Spanish coast (where in 2001 she was built at Figueras), guests can embark to begin a short five-day cruise to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.

#Dredging - A trailing suction hopper dredger, Freeway (2014/4,320gt) with a maximum dredging depth of 30m, is carrying out routine Dublin Port maintenance, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The contract from Dublin Port Company, to dredge spoil from within the port and channel approaches and dispose to designated spoiling grounds in Dublin Bay, was awarded to Irish Dredging. The company now in its 40th year, is a member of the Royal Boskalis Westminster Group.

Freeway with a 4,500 m3 capacity, belongs to the fleet of the Dutch operator, which is one of the world's largest international dredging and marine contractors.

The 91m vessel is scheduled to take five weeks to complete the task. In addition work boats, involving UKD Sealion, a multicat from UK Dredging and the port’s Rosbeg, also a multicat are carrying out bottom-levelling duties. 

Also kept busy has been the work of hydrographic surveys carried out by the small boat F48.

#PolishNavy - A Polish Navy vessel is to make a rare visit to Ireland, as the trainee schoolship is heading to Dublin Port this morning, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The trainee vessel ORP Wodnik (251) arrived in Dublin Bay to pick up pilot from cutter, Liffey. The naval visitor is to be taken into port to Ocean Pier and remain on a three-day courtesy call.

On board are 156 personnel, of those 56 are crew and the balance are from the cadet school. During the Gulf War, the vessel was rebuilt to serve as an evacuation hospital ship.

ORP Wodnik was launched by the Northern Shipyard in Gdansk in 1976. The 77m long vessel has a full displacement of 1745 tons and has an armament of a bow mounted single double cannon. Aft of the twin funnels are a pair of double guns. 

She is one of a trio of such vessels of the Polish Navy whose ships names have the prefix ORP (Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) which translates to the Ship of the Polish Republic.

The other trainee pair are the ORP Gryf also a frigate and which too entered service in 1976 and ORP Iskra. This sailing ship is no stranger to these shores, given she has taken part in Tall Ships Races down the years.

Poland is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) which earlier this month held a major two-day summit in the Polish capital of Warsaw, attended by US President Barack Obama.

The head of the Polish Defence Ministry discussed the enhancement of the eastern flank of NATO and the decision to deploy four robust battalions in Poland and the Baltic States.

#DiversOnDumping – Lorna Siggins of The Irish Times writes that divers’ groups have decided to seek a judicial review over the licensing by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of dredge spoil dumping in Dublin Bay.

Legal representatives for the Irish Underwater Council have informed the EPA of the action due to concerns as previously reported on Afloat.ie about a special area of conservation (SPA) extending from Rockabill to Dalkey Island.

The council is the national umbrella organisation for sport divers, and its action is being supported by Oceandivers, Flagship Scuba and Lambay Diving in an alliance known as Divers Against Dumping.

Dublin Port is engaged in maintenance dredging of shipping lanes under an EPA permit issued in 2011 – two years before the Rockabill to Dalkey Island special conservation area was designated by the Minister for Environment.

To read more from the newspaper click here.

#Landbank - The State-owned commercial company that operates Dublin Port, reports The Irish Independent is poised to buy 40 hectares of motorway-connected land adjacent to the capital to support its future growth.

The Dublin Port Company which is enjoying a record growth phase and is set to pay a €10.9m dividend to the State this year, has just commenced a €230m redevelopment of the Alexandra Basin.

The redevelopment, which involves rebuilding more than 40pc of the port and increasing the basin's depth to 10 metres, will allow the port to host some of the world's largest cruise ships, such as the 18-deck MSC Splendida and the Disney Magic, whose horn blast plays an excerpt from Disney's famous flagship tune,

The redevelopment, which will allow cruise ship passengers to travel by Luas or foot to Dublin city centre, will be completed by 2020. 

However, Ireland's premier deep-water port, currently operating on a 260-hectare area of land, plans to double its container business from 20 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEU) per annum to 40 TEUs and to handle 60 million tonnes a year by 2040.

The DPC handled some 32.8 million gross tonnes last year and has paid dividends of almost €90m to the State since 2007.
To ensure that its estate maximises its cargo-handling capacity, the DPC is contemplating the acquisition of a significant, 40-hectare (almost 99 acres) land bank adjacent to the motorway and accessible by the Dublin Port Tunnel.

Over 30pc of all goods arriving in Dublin port remain within the M50 area, while 60pc of all goods arriving at the port remain within 80km of the port.
It is anticipated that the motorway-connected site will, in future, accommodate non-core activities, such as trade car storage.

The company did not respond to queries about the planned acquisition. For more on the story, click here. 

#FrigateSisters – A pair of former Dutch Navy frigates now part of the Belgium Navy docked within two hours of each other in Dublin Port yesterday for a weekend visit, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The first frigate to arrive BNS Louise-Marie (F931) docked at lunchtime with the attendance of port tugs when berthing at the North Wall Quay Extension. This quay is located next to the former East-Link Bridge which in May was officially unveiled as the Tom Clarke Bridge after a prominent figure of the 1916 Easter Rising.

The 3,328 tonnes BNS Louise-Marie frigate having sailed from Plymouth was joined by sister BNS Leopold I (F930), which had sailed from Bergen on the west coast of Norway. The latter vessel had moored alongside her counterpart, with both bows of the frigates facing seawards.

BNS Leopold I is a ‘Karel Doorman’-class frigate of the Naval Component of the Belgian Armed Forces, however originally she was the Royal Netherlands Navy’s HNLMS Karel Doorman (F827).

Likewise BNS Louise-Marie, was a former member of the Dutch fleet and as a sister named HNLMS Willem van der Zaan (F829) until they were purchased by the Belgiums in 2005. The leadship entered service for the Belgium Navy in 2007 and her sister was commissioned the following year.

Each of the 123m long frigates has a crew totalling 145 (15 officers, 70 non-commissioned officers and 60 sailors). Among the main weapons are eight Harpoon SSM and 16 x NATO Seasparrows and a single SGE-30 Goalkeeper. Also can be equipped is a Lynx or NH90 Helicopter.

During this month, BNS Leopold I had tested anti-ship missiles as part of a NATO flotilla that involved nations from Denmark, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Turkey.

Last month during the May Bank Holiday a trio of Belgium Navy vessels also paid a courtesy call to the capital. On that occasion this involved an auxiliary command and logistical support ship, BNS Godetia.

At the beginning of next month, the annual Belgium Navy Days (1-2 July) will be held in Zeebrugge, where the naval base will be open to the public. Both of the frigates are to attend along with command and oceanographic survey ships.

#DumpingRecordResponse - A record number of submissions to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been received in response to Dublin Port’s most recent application to dump spoil in Dublin Bay, reports Lorna Siggins of The Irish Times. 

A total of 780 submissions from public bodies, non-governmental organisations and individuals have been received in relation to the €230 million Alexandra Basin redevelopment project.

The Irish Underwater Council warns contaminants could damage a special area of conservation (SAC) as previously reported on Afloat.ie in regards to Rockabill Dalkey Island. 

The EPA said this was the highest number of submissions received on a dumping at sea permit application since it assumed responsibility for this function in 2010. However, it will not be holding an oral hearing on the application as this is not allowed for in the current legislation.

An Bord Pleanála has already approved the Alexandra Basin redevelopment. At an estimated cost of €230 million it has been described as the single largest infrastructural investment project in the history of the port.

It aims to facilitate larger cruise ships in the port, including a twin berth farther up the Liffey beside the former Point Depot (now the 3 Arena).

As part of this, Dublin Port plans to dispose of a large part of some 6.4 million cubic metres of material on the Burford bank 5km southeast of Howth, which is in a special area of conservation (SAC) from Rockabill to Dalkey Island.

For more The Irish Times has the story here.  

Applications are invited for the position of Harbour Master

The Company

Dublin Port Company is a self-financing, private limited company, wholly owned by the State and reporting to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. It is the largest port on the island of Ireland and, in 2015, had a record cargo throughput of 32.8m gross tonnes. In addition, Dublin Port is a major passenger hub with two million passengers passing through each year on both ferries and cruise ships. By international standards, Dublin is a very busy port with over 15,000 ship movements annually.

Dublin Port Company has responsibility for a harbour area extending over Dublin Bay and additional responsibility for a still wider pilotage district including Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
The Company provides port infrastructure operated by private sector companies operating in competitive markets. The Port has a ten kilometre entrance channel, more than seven kilometers of berths (quay walls and jetties), a fleet of port craft (including pilot boats and tugs), eight ramps for Ro-Ro operations and a land area of 260 hectares.
The Port is situated at the heart of Dublin Bay and is immediately adjacent to protected environmental sites of national and international importance. It is also bounded by residential and commercial areas.
The Company’s business is growing rapidly and the Port is being developed on the basis of the Masterplan 2012 to 2040. The first major Masterplan project, the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR) Project, is currently being constructed. As part of this project, the Port’s ruling depth will be increased to -10.0m CD and more than three kilometres of berths will be constructed or reconstructed to provide capacity for longer and deeper ships.

The Position
The position of Harbour Master is key in the safe and efficient management of the Port. The Harbour Master is a member of the Executive Management Team, reporting to the Chief Executive. The Harbour Master’s primary operational responsibilities are to ensure the Port’s marine activities operate safely and efficiently.

The Harbour Master has direct managerial responsibility for operations in a number of key areas including pilotage, towage, berth allocation and VTS. Given the location of Dublin Port, the Harbour Master also has a wider responsibility for leisure and other craft in Dublin Bay and in the River Liffey.
The role requires an in-depth understanding of ship operations in all modes including Ro-Ro passenger and freight ferries; container ships; bulk carriers of all types; oil tankers; and cruise ships.
The Harbour Master is responsible for all aspects of the operations of the Port’s Harbour Function including the management of a skilled staff of 60 and the management of a large financial budget.

The Person
To qualify for consideration, candidates must have a valid STCW II/2 Certificate of Competency as Master, (unlimited) valid for service in the Irish Mercantile Marine. Candidates should have at least three years seagoing experience as Master or Chief Officer of a merchant vessel and/or three years experience as a Harbour Master, Deputy Harbour Master or Assistant Harbour Master in a comparable port.
The successful candidate will have to demonstrate the required high level of expertise in the operational dimensions of the role; the ability to motivate and manage a skilled workforce operating around the clock on every day in the year; financial and commercial acumen in respect of both the Company’s business and that of our customers; the ability to develop and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders both nationally and internationally and the ability to communicate clearly and authoritatively both verbally and in writing.

To apply please send full personal, career and current remuneration details to:

Mr. Pat Ward
Head of Corporate Services,
Dublin Port Company,
Port Centre,
Alexandra Road,
Dublin 1.
D01 H4C6

Closing date 8th July 2016

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#1860dockExcavation! - Arklow Fame (2006/2,998grt) the last ever ship to be dry-docked in Dublin Port that closed a month ago, was back in the port today at the Boliden Tara mines facility, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Dublin Graving Docks (DGD) Ltd closed with the loss of 26 full-time employees as the shiprepair, maintenance and conversion facility operated under license of the Dublin Port Company expired at the end of April. The site of the 220m long Graving Dock No. 2 (built 1957) was the largest in the state and is to be in-filled as part of DPC plans to increase space capacity as part of the €227m Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR) project to cater for increasingly larger cargoships.

Given the name of the former dock yard company, what about the other dock? That was Graving Dock No. 1 (dating to 1860) which was in-filled less than a decade ago to increase hard-standing area for ro-ro freight operations of an expanding terminal next to the DPC’s headquarters of the Port Centre building.

The final vessel to use Graving Dock No.1 took place in May 2006 but not for standard repairs but most surprisingly was for scrapping! This involved a 1954 built Tonga flagged converted cargoship used for livestock service between Dover-Dunkerque and possibly from Dublin too from where the 836 tonnes vessel was impounded by Irish authorities in 2003.

The veteran vessel was left to languish in port and Alda K having had four names over a career spanning almost half a century would never see service again. The final chapter of this small ship ended when DGD Ltd began breaking up the the vessel in Graving Dock No. 1. The sight of this activity in the capital was most surreal to observe and something one would expect overseas.

Ironically as part of the ABR project, Graving Dock No. 1 which is a listed structure is to be excavated, despite it been in filled less than a decade ago in late 2008. The site is to be developed into a new arts and industrial heritage visitor attraction centre, located next to the port’s first dedicated cruise terminal along the North Quay Wall Extension. Currently this is where P&O Ferries operate from ro-ro terminal no. 3.

The double berth €30m terminal is to accommodate some of the world’s largest cruiseships and as well to been located closer to the city-centre. Currently the largest cruiseships can only be handled at berths alongside Ocean Pier which have deeper berths than those upriver at the North Wall Extension next to the Tom Clarke Bridge, until recently known as the East-Link toll-bridge.