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Displaying items by tag: Ships & Cargoes

Afloat previously featured the Port of Galway's shipping activity and likewise the company of the mid-west port highlighted on social media the variety of vessels along with respective cargoes that called to the harbour at the weekend.

A trio of cargoships were berthed in the Port of Galway's single berthing area, Dun Aengus Dock. Here the Hestia was engaged in refuse-derived fuel (RDF), Mia Sophie-B with limestone while the Pasadena had a load of scrap metal.

The aptly named Corrib Fisher, operated by Jas Fisher Everard arrived with petroleum (from Whitegate Refinery, Cork Harbour).  The final ship in port over the weekend was RV Celtic Explorer, the research vessel of the Marine Institute berthed at its registered homeport.

This afternoon the port is occupied by the continued presence of Celtic Explorer, the port's pilot cutter and a variety of leisure craft. At the port's outer pier is the Aran Islands serving freighter, Saoise na Mara which was acquired as secondhand tonnage last year.

The former Norwegian flagged palletised cargo ship Fagerfjord was renamed when introduced by Lasta Mara Teoranta last year. The operator has a government contract to run a subsidised service to the Aran Islands. This vessel can also load vehicles with deck-mounted cranes.

Published in Galway Harbour

The Rankin Dinghy of Cobh, Cork Harbour 

A Rankin is a traditional wooden dinghy which was built in Cobh, of which it’s believed there were 80 and of which The Rankin Dinghy Group has traced nearly half. 

The name of the Rankin dinghies is revered in Cork Harbour and particularly in the harbourside town of Cobh.

And the name of one of those boats is linked to the gunboat which fought against the Irish Volunteers during the 1916 Easter Rising and later for the emergent Irish Free State Government against anti-Treaty Forces during the Irish Civil War.

It also links the renowned boat-building Rankin family in Cobh, one of whose members crewed on the gunboat.

Maurice Kidney and Conor English are driving the restoration of the Rankin dinghies in Cork Harbour. They have discovered that Rankins were bought and sailed in several parts of the country.