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Displaying items by tag: Stormont Executive

27th January 2011

Belfast Harbour Trade Improves

Trade through Belfast Harbour is on the rise after a three-year drop, the The Corkman reports.
Cargo through the port rose by 5% in the last year to 16.5 million tonnes, following a 10% fall since 2007 due to the global economic crisis.
While passenger numbers have fallen slightly, 35 cruise ships carring 62,000 visitors docked in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, bulk cargo trade was up by 12%, and grain and animal feed trade broke the 2 million tonnes.
Salt shipments were also up my more than 200% due to the severe winter freeze.
The numbers will be good news to the Stormont Executive, which is expected to introduced a new levy on harbour trade to offset spending cuts.

Trade through Belfast Harbour is on the rise after a three-year drop, The Corkman reports.

Cargo through the port rose by 5% in the last year to 16.5 million tonnes, following a 10% fall since 2007 resulting from the global economic crisis.

While passenger numbers have fallen slightly, 35 cruise ships carring 62,000 visitors docked in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, bulk cargo trade was up by 12%, and grain and animal feed trade broke 2 million tonnes.

Salt shipments were also up my more than 200% due to the severe winter freeze.

The numbers will be good news to the Stormont Executive, which is expected to introduced a new levy on harbour trade to offset spending cuts.

Published in Belfast Lough

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.