#LinerQM2 – A once in a lifetime opportunity to see fantastic close-up views of the giant Queen Mary 2 (QM2) during the liner's historic inaugural call off Dun Laoghaire Harbour are available with a Dublin Bay Cruises excursion, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The Dun Laoghaire based operator is running two special cruises to circle the 2,620 passenger QM2,  the world's only liner during her 'anchorage' call next Thursday (16 May). Cruises depart from the East Pier (15.30 and 17.00) and head into Dublin Bay where the 151,400 tonnes Cunard Line 'flagship' will tower above the excursion boat St. Bridget.

Queen Mary 2 was built at the famous shipyard of Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France and cost €659m (US$800 million). The liner entered service in 2004 and to give a sense of her sheer size, she is 1,132 feet long, 236 feet high, 135 feet on the beam and has a draft of 32 feet.

Among the facilities, there are 15 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, ballroom, theatre, spa-club, the only planetarium at sea and a 3D cinema. The Bermuda flagged liner which has 14 decks has a crew of 1,200.

She was named after the original Queen Mary which remains moored as a static floating hotel in Long Beach, California. Uniquely the Queen Mary 2 continues the tradition of the trans-Atlantic 'liner' which reflect a bygone era of the classic voyage between Southampton and New York.

Her call follows her predecessor the 70,000 tonnes Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), which twice made anchorage calls offshore of Dun Laoghaire more than a decade ago.

#LinerQueenMary2- The eagerly awaited visit of the world's only 'liner', Cunard Line's flagship Queen Mary 2 is now just over a week away to making her first ever visit to Dublin Bay with an 'anchorage' call off Dun Laoghaire Harbour, writes Jehan Ashmore. The liner arrives next Thursday, May 16th.

The significance of the call of Queen Mary 2 or 'QM2' as she is affectionately known will no doubt generate a major draw for onlookers when she arrives on the Dublin Bay horizon from a northerly direction around 06.00hrs.

Vantage points lining the East Pier, Scotsman's Bay and beyond will be condusive to witness the sheer size of the 151,400 tonnes giant vessel as she looms towards Dun Laoghaire.

The French built liner which cost €659m (US$800 million) is currently on a trans-Atlantic voyage and is bound for her homeport of Southampton. The liner represents a link to the past of the bygone era in travelling the Atlantic in complete luxury while capturing the essence of the classic sailing voyage experience to and from New York.

Facilities are both elegant and grand and where her 2,600 passengers have no less than 14 spacious decks with all the luxury one would expect with such liner prestige and historical pedigree.

Among the amenities guests can enjoy the Canyon Ranch spa-club, the only planetarium at sea and a 3D cinema.

Queen Mary 2 will be the highlight for the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company as the passenger liner also marks the opening of the 2013 cruise season, and where such a large vessel will provide a much needed boost to regional tourism.

The port can also look forward to a dramatic increase this season as a further dozen or so cruise calls are scheduled to bring 30,000 passengers and crew to the port, a stark contrast to last year's return to this business sector with just two calls.

Another first will be the use of the purpose built cruise liner dock pontoon, when the QM2's tenders are expected to berth at the facility in the Coal Harbour.

The QM2's predecessor of only half her size the 70,000 tonnes Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) had made two anchorage calls offshore of Dun Laoghaire Harbour as did some other well known large cruiseships more than a decade ago.

In regards to Queen Mary 2, this will be her third call to Irish waters and as with the first visit, she too made an anchorage call offshore of Dunmore East in 2005. On her  second call to Cobh in 2011 this involved berthing alongside the quay.

#GalwayHarbour - Plans for the expansion of Galway Harbour are "99 per cent ready to go", as the Galway Independent reports.

Eamon Bradshaw, CEO of the Galway Harbour Company, said that the application for the new development would be submitted by the end of June.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the scheme will be the first Irish project lodged under new legislation that provides for planning permission on the grounds of "overriding public interest".

Bradshaw says that the necessary Natura Impact Statement has been completed, and economic and financial details were now being finalised for the redevelopment project at the harbour, recently recognised by the Government as a 'port of regional significance'.

Should it get the go-ahead from An Bord Pleanála, the new harbour will extend almost 1km out to sea with 660m of quay berth and plenty of space for cargo and container ships, oil tankers, fishing vessels and passenger ships.

The project will be completed in four phases, with the first €50 million phase extending the port by some 57 acres to accommodate a greater number of commercial ships and modern cruise liners.

Galway City Council recently granted extra time to the Galway Harbour Company for pre-expansion demolition works in the docks area.

The Galway Independent has much more on the story HERE.

#CruiseLiners – Sea Explorer, the small cruiseship which underwent a period of 'lay-up' in Dun Laoghaire Harbour as previously reported on Afloat.ie, is currently berthed in Barrow-in-Furness, having departed the Irish port last month, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Owned by Miami based International Shipping Partners (ISP), the 4,200 tonnes cruiseship with a 118 passenger capacity remained in Dun Laoghaire Harbour for just over a fortnight.

It was envisaged that the former Corinthian II which was renamed in Cadiz prior to her repositioning voyage to Dun Laoghaire Harbour, would at least remain in port until June before starting on a new cruise charter career.

Despite the relocation of Irish Sea port, Sea Explorer is currently in lay-up mode in the Cumbrian port, however she is due to start a new career during the summer on charter to Copenhagen based Albatross Travel. The Danish operator will be running cruises in Greenland. For several winter seasons, she will run for Polar Latitude on cruises in the Antarctic.

Also reported on Afloat.ie was the Waterford cruiseship season which started this month. Among the callers will be Sea Explorer which is due on 21 May and is to berth along the city-quays.

The call is to follow cruiseships that will have either taken anchorage or berthed at various locations throughout Waterford estuary.

#CruiseLiners – For the first time during the 2013 Dublin Port cruise season, two such vessels are due to dock on the same day and only hours apart, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The French mega-yacht style cruiseship Le Boreal from Caen, Normandy is scheduled to arrive first in the early hours of next Sunday. She will be followed by the Norwegian polar region cruise expedition vessel Fram with an arrival from Cork.

Sleek lined Le Boreal is operated by Compagnie due Ponant yacht cruises and the stoutly proportioned Fram is run by Hurtigruten. This operator of course is famous for providing the important Norwegian coastal voyage between Bergen and Kirkenes, beyond the Arctic circle and bordering the Russian Federation.

Among the many regions, the Fram explores the other end of the world with cruises in the Antarctic Ocean.

Dublin Port can look forward to another record breaking year with around 105 cruise calls scheduled in 2013, this compares to last year where there were 89 arrivals. The rise in the 2013 season reflects approximately an increase of 20% compared to last year.

#CruiseConference- At the Cruise Europe conference held in Le Havre yesterday, plans for the new sulphur emissions regulations due to come into force in 2015 were among the issues discussed at the event.

Captain Michael McCarthy, chair of Cruise Europe and commercial manager at the Port of Cork addressed the potential for fuel shortages when emission control areas (ECAs) come into force in 2015. Citing likely competition between marine and land-based users, he said: "There is a huge shortfall in oil refining in Europe. The European Union may have no choice but to offer derogation by 2015."

McCarthy addressed changes brought about by globalisation of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), commenting: "Cruise Europe is happy to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with CLIA Europe to continue to promote consistency of product quality in Europe." For more on this story CruiseandFerry.net reports

#CruiseLIVERPOOL – Liverpool's first cruise caller of 2013 was Fred Olsen Cruise Lines Boudicca which made her maiden turn around call on Merseyside yesterday, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The afternoon arrival of Boudicca from Portsmouth was completed when she berthed alongside Liverpool Cruise Terminal with the assistance a tug at the riverside quay.

She remained at the facility until departing last night on a "Gardens and Beaches of the Canaries" cruise. The vessels (see web-tracking) first port of call is scheduled to be Arrecife, Lanzarote.

For a list of the Liverpool's cruise callers in which there are more than 40 calls this season, among them being Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Celebrity Infinity click HERE.

#CruiseBELFAST – Opening the cruiseship season to Belfast Harbour today is the small ultra-luxury Hebridean Princess, now serving her 25th year of operations, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The former west Scottish isles car-ferry Columba currently operated by Hebridean Island Cruises, is the first of 60 cruise callers to bring 100,000 visitors to the city port during 2013.

Belfast Harbour can also look forward later this month in officially marking its 400th anniversary when the port's first quay was established by a Royal Charter in 1613.

On a related royal note, Hebridean Princess was chartered by Queen Elizabeth II for a family holiday cruise around the Scottish isles to mark her 80th birthday in 2006.

The ship is berthed in Pollock Dock (see basin on left of aerial view) which is situated closer to the city-centre compared to the Stormont Wharf facility which caters for considerably larger cruiseships.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, 2013 is set to become another breaking season, in contrast to last year's season when 44 cruiseships called carrying 75,000 passengers.

Among the cruise operators to call they include Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Celebrity, MSC, Thomson, Fred Olsen Cruise Line and Saga Cruises. For details of calls click the LINER-LIST.

#Cruiseliners – Waterford Estuary is to welcome more than 20 cruise calls in 2013 with the first caller being Island Sky in early May, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The small 118 passenger cruiseship operated by Noble Caledonia and with a crew of 77 will make a brief anchorage call off Dunmore East.

During the afternoon visit, passengers are to visit the Mount Congreve Gardens, a spectacular woodland garden upriver on the banks of the River Suir.

Among the other callers that month are the 110 passenger Serenissima, a former Norwegian vessel that served on the Hurtigruten coastal service and also as the Andrea running cruises to polar-regions. She is to dock alongside Waterford's city-centre quays.

The third location on the estuary where cruiseships call is Belview, downriver of the city facing Waterford Island. The container terminal facility which is the primary port for Waterford is where the 408 passenger Hamburg is due to berth. For a list of all liners calling this season click HERE.

#CruiseCORK – The first caller of the Cork cruise season is to be made this evening by Discovery, which as previously reported also started the 2013 season to Dublin Port last week, writes Jehan Ashmore.

She is to due to dock around 22.00hrs this evening alongside the deepwater berth at Cobh Cruise Terminal and where she will make an overnight visit.

A total of 60 cruise ships are scheduled to call in 2013, carrying in excess of 100,000 passengers and crew to be welcomed to the region.

Also recently reported on Afloat.ie was the announcement that the Port of Cork Company is to become 'a sister port' in an alliance with PortMiami, the "Cruise Capital of the World".

Close to 700 passengers can be accommodated on Discovery which is making her debut season operating cruises for Cruise & Maritime Voyages. On this cruise she embarked passengers from her homeport of Avonmouth, near Bristol in north Devon.

The UK based CMV are running cruises by the 20,000 tonnes vessel (and Marco Polo) this season. In tandem the owners of Discovery - Voyages of Discovery are marketing their own cruises using the same vessel under the 'Discovery Sailaway' banner.

Considerably larger cruiseships will call throughout the season to Cork Harbour, for further details and dates click this LINER-LIST.

For example the next caller on 27 April is Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (RCCL) Vision of the Seas, of 78, 000 tonnes with a capacity for more than 2,400 passengers.