The Department of Transport has issued a new Marine Notice on the correct use of lifejackets or personal flotation devices (PFDs) on fishing vessels.

It follows the report earlier this month from the Maritime Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) into the sinking of the FV Alize off Hook Head early last year.

Two fishermen died after the FV Alize sank while fishing for scallops out of Duncannon, Co Wexford on 4 January 2020.

Joe Sinnott was recovered from the scene by the Irish Coast Guard’s Waterford-based helicopter Rescue 117 but was later pronounced dead at University Hospital Waterford.

The body of skipper Willie Whelan was found trapped behind equipment on the deck of the sunken vessel and was recovered by divers on 28 January 2020.

The MCIB report concluded that the FV Alize capsized and sank quickly and without warning while hauling its final trawl, most likely due to a stability issue.

It determined that the boat was operating below its optimum level of three crew, and that the two fishermen on board were not trained in stability awareness and likely fatigued after 36 hours at sea.

In addition, it found that the two crew’s likelihood of survival was reduced by not having any time to respond and broadcast a distress message — but also by not complying with safety regulations which mandate the wearing of a lifejacket or personal flotation device.

Marine Notice No 48 of 2021 (which can be downloaded below, and which supersedes No 34 of 2017) reminds all fishing vessel owners, operators, skippers, crew and course training providers that every person on board a fishing vessel must wear a suitable PDF when in deck (or, in the case of an open undecked vessel, at all times on board).

Such inflatable PFDs must be worn over, not under, all items of clothing and should be fitted with a hold-down deice such as a crotch strap or thigh straps.

The MCIB report also recommends warning owners and operators of small fishing vessels (under 15m in length overall) of “the hazards associated with trawling, including beam trawling and scallop dredging”, and that the relevant Code of Practice for the design, build and operation of such vessels be updated “to reflect the importance of periodic examination and testing of lifting equipment”.

Meanwhile, it’s recommended that the Minister for Transport should adopt Actions 9 stated in the Maritime Safety Strategy in respect of stability standards, stability criteria and crew training for small fishing vessels.

Kinsale Energy will undertake vessel-based subsea ROV/removal operations in the Kinsale Head and Seven Heads Gas Fields from later this month.

The works are part of its decommissioning campaign on subsea infrastructure across the two gas fields, and are due to commence on or around Monday 23 August for a period of 20 days, weather permitting.

Works will be conducted from the construction support vessel North Sea Giant (callsign LAYR7) which will be listening on VHF Channel 8.

Details of coordinates of these offshore operations are included in Marine Notice No 46 of 2021, which can be downloaded below.

Installation of the Havhingsten fibre optic telecommunication cable system is planned from Monday 23 August until Thursday 23 September in the Irish Sea outside of the Irish 12-nautical-mile zone.

Works within 12 nautical miles of Ireland’s mainland are planned from December 2021 subject to weather and operational conditions.

There will also be associated rock placement operations post-cable installation at four locations within the western Irish Sea and these works are expected in between October and December, weather permitting.

The entire cable system will comprise marine elements that pass from Denmark to the UK (NE region), and from the UK (NW) to Ireland, with two segments installed into landfalls on the Isle of Man. The cable route for the western Irish Sea region lands at Loughshinny in north Co Dublin.

Installation will be via industry standard burial tools including water jetting and ploughing. Target cable burial depth is 1.5m below seabed level in the region.

It is anticipated that installation operations in UK/Irish waters will occupy up to a maximum 500m width (250m either side of cable). The cable itself will occupy only 40mm of the seabed. Expected speed of installation will be approximately 17km per day.

Works will be conducted by the cable installation vessel CS Recorder (callsign MATL3) which will operate 24 hours a day and will display appropriate day shapes and lights during reduced visibility and night operations.

All vessels operating within its vicinity are requested to keep their distance, and pass at minimum speed to reduce vessel wash.

Full details, including coordinates for the work areas and rock armour placements, are included in Marine Notice No 45 of 2021 which can be downloaded below.

Following the Marine Notice two months ago on the deployment of wave buoys and a floating lidar buoy at the Dublin Array offshore wind farm, a new notice has been issued regarding the lidar buoy’s move to a fixed position.

Partrac Ltd will relocate the floating lidar buoy from its current temporary position at Kish Lighthouse to a new location in Bray Bank some time between this Wednesday 4 August and Tuesday 17 August, weather permitting.

The relocation is expected to take one day. The buoy will then remain in place for 18 months and a further Marine Notice will be issued providing information on the retrieval of the buoy.

The AMS Retriever (callsign MEHI8) will recover the buoy and tow it to its new location. During this work, the vessel will be restricted in its ability to manoeuvre.

As such, all other vessels operating within this area are requested to keep their distance, maintaining a safety zone around the AMS Retriever, and to pass at minimum speed to reduce vessel wash.

Further details including coordinates of the buoy’s new location are included in Marine Notice No 44 of 2021, which can be downloaded below.

The Department of Transport has issued an updated advisory over the risk of vessels becoming entangled in ropes used in pot fishing.

Marine Notice No 43 of 2021 supersedes No 10 of 2019 and reminds all vessel owners, agents, shipmasters, skippers, fishers, yachtsmen, seafarers and those engaged in pot fishing about the risks of vessels’ propellers becoming entangled in ropes of marker buoys used to indicate the position of pots used for fishing lobster, crab or other fish or shellfish.

This can occur because the length of rope used to fix marker buoys is too long, resulting in the line floating on or just below the surface.

The use of too long a line of rope can result in a situation where even vessels that have taken a wide berth around marker buoys could have their propellers fouled by the rope.

Specifically, the department reminds those engaged in pot fishing not to use unsuitable ‘floats’ (eg empty drink cans, plastic bottles, dark-coloured floats, etc) which offer poor visibility and/or could be mistaken for floating debris.

Fishers who carry out pot fishing (whether commercially or non-commercially) are reminded of their obligations to other users of the sea.

Furthermore, non-commercial pot fishers are reminded of the regulations made by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine covering such activity (SI No 31 of 2016 - Non-Commercial Pot Fishing (Lobster and Crab) Regulations 2016) which, inter alia, limits the numbers of pots permitted per boat to a maximum of six, and such pot fishing to the months of May to September.

Any mariners who spot any marker buoys/ropes (or any other object) in the water, which they deem to represent a danger to navigation, should communicate information on same to other vessels in the area and to the Irish Coast Guard or to the local competent authority so that a hazard warning can be issued if appropriate, and any required follow-up action can be taken.

A guide on good practice for pots and marker buoys is included in Marine Notice No 43 of 2021, which can be downloaded below.

The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport advices of a forthcoming rig move as part of Kinsale Energy’s subsea wells abandonment campaign running until the end of this year.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) Stena Spey (callsign GCWP) will be relocated from the Southwest Kinsale to the Seven Heads gas field this week, in or around Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 July.

Full details of the well locations and related activities are included in Marine Notice No 42 of 2021, which can be downloaded below.

The Department of Transport has been advised that Codling Wind Park Limited intends to deploy metocean equipment off the coast of Wicklow as part of the consenting process for Codling Wind Park.

This equipment will be deployed from the Fastnet Sound (callsign MHXQ5) between today, Wednesday 30 June and Friday 16 July, weather window permitting.

The deployment will consist of one metocean data buoy, two wave ocean buoys and one ADCP seabed frame, which will be used to characterise the wind park area over a period of 12 months.

For more details see Marine Notice No 41 of 2021, a PDF of which can be downloaded below.

The Irish Marine Federation has confirmed with the Government that restrictions against visiting vessels in Irish ports remain for the time being.

Last week Afloat.ie reported on contradictory advice that emerged in the wake of the latest update to maritime travel restrictions amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic from the Department of Transport.

Following that update on Wednesday (23 June), Irish Sailing said its understanding was that “the previous ban on foreign leisure vessels travelling to Irish ports has been lifted”. As of Wednesday morning 30 June, the statement remains on the Irish Sailing website.

This view was not shared by all in the marine industry, and in response the Irish Marine Federation (IMF) says it was “contacted by a number of members who were uneasy at the apparent downgrading of the ‘essential travel only’ advice currently in force”.

The IMF sought clarification from the Department of Transport, which has since confirmed that “there has been no change” and the current restrictions on travel to Ireland remain in place until at least 18 July.

“The IMF and its affiliated body, the Irish Marina Operators Association, have been keenly watching the travel situation develop throughout this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and our members continue to suffer the financial loss of foreign leisure vessels excluded from coastal harbours and marinas,” the federation added.

“Nobody is more eager to see a safe and responsible return to marine tourism than our members are. We strongly recommend however that Government and public health advice is adhered to, as is clearly set out, and this is the only source of information used when assessing the risks and feasibility of international travel.”

Meanwhile, Afloat.ie has received its own confirmation from the Department of Transport that no cruise ships are permitted to enter any Irish port or anchor in Irish waters.

“While this decision will be kept under review, there are no plans at present for the resumption of cruises into Ireland,” the department added. “Government advice continues to be that only essential travel is to be undertaken in accordance with health authorities’ guidance.

“The focus at present is on minimising the risk of infection across all sectors. Any decision regarding the resumption of cruise tourism into Ireland will be based on the advice from public health officials.”

As the summer boating season approaches its height, the Department of Transport has issued a reminder to all masters, owners and users of pleasure vessels and recreational craft to familiarise themselves with the Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft.

The Code of Practice is a valuable source of information, advice and best practice operational guidance for a range of pleasure and recreational craft operating in Irish coastal and inland waters.

It highlights the importance of personal responsibility for all those who take to the water. Each person must take maritime safety seriously, prepare and plan for a safe trip, behave responsibly on the water and be properly equipped so as to be able to respond to any incidents that may arise.

Contained within it is information on legislative requirements, safe operation and advice on best practice when using a range of recreational craft including:

• Sail and motor boats
• Sailing dinghies
• Personal watercraft (jetskis)
• Powerboats
• Canoes and kayaks
• Rowing boats
• Charter boats
• Ski boats and dive boats
• Windsurfing boards, stand-up paddle boards and other non-powered craft

The Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft is available as a free download from Gov.ie and can also be requested in hard copy, in both English and Irish, from [email protected] or 01 678 3434.

Owners and operators of recreational craft should familiarise themselves with Part A of the Code, the particular chapter in Part B appropriate to their type of vessel, as well as chapters 10, 11 and the appendices.

Further details can be found in Marine Notice No 40 of 2021, which can be downloaded below.

Contradictory advice has emerged in the wake of the latest update to maritime travel restrictions from the Department of Transport.

Following yesterday’s (Wednesday 23 June) update to Marine Notice No 16 of 2021, which can be downloaded below, Irish Sailing has said its understanding is that “the previous ban on foreign leisure vessels travelling to Irish ports has been lifted”.

However, this understanding is not shared by all — with at least one marina operator telling Afloat.ie that their business will hold off on lifting any COVID-19 travel restrictions until Government guidelines explicitly allow.

At time of writing, Government advice remains to “avoid non-essential travel” until at least 18 July.

Afloat.ie has contacted the Department of Transport for comment.