Displaying items by tag: Seafood Export Award

27th November 2010

IEA Export Industry Awards to Shipping

French shipping giant CMA-CGM was announced the winner of the Deep Sea Shipping Company of the Year Award at the annual Irish Exporters Association (IEA) Export Industry Awards, which was held in Dublin on Thursday, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The award sponsored by the Port of Cork, recognises the strategically important role of deep sea shipping to our island economy. CMA-CGM offers a range of transport options to Irish exporters selling to Europe.

In the category of Short Sea Shipping Company of the Year, sponsored by the Irish Maritime Development Office, which recognises the strategically important role of short sea shipping to our economy, the winner of the award was CLDN Colbefret Group.

The Belgium operator opened two new routes from Dublin to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge in November last year, providing a range of transport options to Irish exporters selling to Europe. Since then Cobelfret have gradually introduced new Con-Ro (Containers and Roll-On/Roll-Off) vessels onto the continental routes. The six 25,000 gross tonnes newbuilds were built by FGS Flensburg, Germany and the latest unit Opaline, is due to make a Dublin debut tomorrow.

Cobelfret's operations in Dublin are based in Alexandra Basin East using the ports No. 2 ro-ro linkspan berth. A previous linkspan built in the 1950's was demolished last summer to develop a larger linkspan, to cater for larger tonnage like the Opaline. The new vessel has 2,907 lane metres for freight vehicles spread over three decks and a container capacity for 854 TEU mafi-trailers.

Donegal based Marine Harvest won the Seafood Export Award, sponsored by Bord Biá. The company is an indigenous fully-integrated salmon breeding, farming and processing operation, exporting premium products to Europe and North America.

The overall winner of the IEA's Export Industry Award for 2010 was the Irish Dairy Board.

Published in Ports & Shipping

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About Conor O'Brien, Irish Circumnavigator

In 1923-25, Conor O'Brien became the first amateur skipper to circle the world south of the Great Capes. O'Brien's boat Saoirse was reputedly the first small boat (42-foot, 13 metres long) to sail around the world since Joshua Slocum completed his voyage in the 'Spray' during 1895 to 1898. It is a journey that O' Brien documented in his book Across Three Oceans. O'Brien's voyage began and ended at the Port of Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland, where he lived.

Saoirse, under O'Brien's command and with three crew, was the first yacht to circumnavigate the world by way of the three great capes: Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin; and was the first boat flying the Irish tri-colour to enter many of the world's ports and harbours. He ran down his easting in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties between the years 1923 to 1925.

Up until O'Brien's circumnavigation, this route was the preserve of square-rigged grain ships taking part in the grain race from Australia to England via Cape Horn (also known as the clipper route).

At a Glance - Conor O'Brien's Circumnavigation

In June 1923, Limerick man Conor O’Brien set off on his yacht, the Saoirse — named after the then newly created Irish Free State — on the two-year voyage from Dun Laoghaire Harbour that was to make him the first Irish amateur to sail around the world.

June 1923 - Saoirse’s arrival in Madeira after her maiden passage out from Dublin Bay

2nd December 1924 - Saoirse crossed the longitude of Cape Horn

June 20th 1925 - O’Brien’s return to Dun Laoghaire Harbour