#NewbuildTanker- Ardmore Shipping Corporation this week have announced that its latest newbuild Ardmore Seafox, was delivered by SPP Shipbuilding Co Ltd.

The Sacheon shipyard in South Korea handed over the 49,999dwt product and chemical newbuild on 25th June 2015.
Ardmore Seafox increases the number of Ardmore vessels on the water to twenty with a total tonnage of 819,519 DWT.

She follows Ardmore Sealion which was also delivered bySPP Shipbuilding Co., Ltd but at their Goseong shipyard in Korea.

Technical management of the Ardmore Seafox will be provided by Univan Ship Management Ltd.

Commenting on her delivery, Mark Cameron, Ardmore Shipping's COO, said: "We are pleased to take delivery of this sister ship to the Ardmore Sealion and we extend our thanks to SPP Shipbuilding for their hard work and dedication throughout the build process. The addition of the Ardmore Seafox realises our continued commitment to incorporating high quality, modern and efficient vessels to our fleet.

As with the Ardmore Sealion, the Ardmore Seafox is a high quality eco-design Ardmore vessel, fully equipped with a variety of fuel-saving measures including Skysails technology and offering the highest standards of performance for our customers. With an average age of under four and a half years, the Ardmore fleet is among the youngest in the industry.

This is the second of four newbuild vessels to be delivered from SPP Shipbuilding this year and we look forward to continuing to work closely with SPP Shipbuilding on the remaining two vessels in the series due for delivery in the second half of this year. We wish the Ardmore Seafox and her crew safe seas and fair winds as she goes on to fulfill her long and successful service within the Ardmore fleet."

#USschoolship - Cobh which is synonymous with cruiseships is host to a US training schoolship with up to 300 students on board, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 12,524 tonnes schoolship State of Maine is understood to have departed her homeport of Portland Me on 13 June. She is berthed at the Cobh's Deepwater Quay during an annual Summer Training Cruise for the Maine Maritime Academy.

State of Maine, is the flagship of the Academy and offer trainees a Vessel Operations and Technology (VOT) program that leads to a Bachelor of Science degree. The VOS curriculum is designed to prepare students for positions of responsibility as operators and managers of a variety of private and commercial vessels.

If qualified, students may sit for the U.S. Coast Guard examination for 500-ton or 1600-ton Near-Coastal Mate's License. Those who complete the curriculum can have careers aboard tugs and barges, ferries, passenger vessels, tall ships, and mega-yachts.

Prior to her current role, the 142m State of Maine had begun a career as the US Navy supply ship USS Tanner when launched by the Bethlehem Key Highway yard in Baltimore. 

The blue hulled vessel presents a distinctive profile given two large white angular superstructure blocks to accommodate quarters for her trainees.

For those wondering what is the next cruiseship due to berth at Cobh, this will be Azamara Journey on 6 July. The 30,000 tonnes cruiseship with up to 686 passengers is operated by Azamara Cruises.

Also scheduled to visit Cork Harbour that same day is Magellen, as previously reported the new flagship of Cruise & Maritime Voyages which is due to Ringaskiddy.

#NewEUCONcontainers – EUCON, one of Irish Continental Group's container shipping divisions have extended their container range capabilty with 30 new 45ft refrigerated containers.

The new containers which arrived last week are to be introduced into service from the first week of July. This will increase the total number of reefers in the fleet from 120 to 150 units.

Serving the EUCON container range are a fleet of 10 chartered Lo/Lo containerships.

The 'feeder' containerships vary from 400 TEU to 1,000 TEU capacity and they link Belfast, Dublin and Cork with Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in The Netherlands.

#DredgingWaterford – Dredging maintenance operations are underway on Waterford Estuary as Causeway is kept busy to ensure shipping lanes are of the required depth, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The Irish Dredging Company Ltd which is an agent for Dutch based global maritime services company Boskalis have deployed the 4,320 tonnes Causeway, a trailing suction dredger hopper on a contract with the Port of Waterford Company. The 2013 built dredger is carrying out a continuous 10-day dredging campaign from Belview seawards.

Causway at 92m long and a capacity for 4,200m3 is one of the largest dredgers to operate in Irish waters. The dredged spoil is been discharged at an approved dumping site south-west off Hook Head.

Dredging works began last week and among the shipping traffic this afternoon at the mouth of Waterford Estuary is P&O Cruises smallest fleet member, Adonia of 30,000 tonnes.

The Bahama-flagged visitor with a 710 passenger capacity is on an anchorage call off Dunmore East.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, she represented the first P&O Cruises caller to Killybegs with a visit last week.

Adonia's crew of 385 will be preparing the 180m cruiseship as she is set to depart early this evening on a passage to St. Peter Port, Guernsey.

Also anchored off the Irish harbour are a pair of general cargoships. The Elbetor bound for New Ross and Imina which is awaiting orders having sailed downriver from the inland Co. Wexford port.

#FirstMaritimeWinners - Ireland's maritime and marine sector were recognised at the inaugural Maritime Industry Awards held last week.

The awards took place in Dublin at the Ballsbridge Hotel last Thursday and were hosted by Colm O'Regan of 'Irish Mammies' fame. In total there were 15 prestigious trophies which were presented to individuals and organisations within Ireland's maritime industry.

The 2015 Awards Winners are listed below. 

Overall Maritime Excellence Award: Resolute Marine Energy

Lifetime Achievement Award: Eoin Sweeney

Ship Operator of the Year: Atlantic Towage & Marine

Excellence in Maritime Environmental Protection Award: Commissioners of Irish Lights

Excellence in Maritime Education & Training Award: Marine Data Network - SEA-Tech Evolution

Excellence in Marine Renewable Energy Award: Resolute Marine Energy

Excellence in Vessel Repair & Maintenance Award: Mooney Boats

Special Recognition Award: Helen Noble

Excellence in Marine Tourism & Leisure Award: Port of Cork Company

Excellence in Aquaculture Award: Marine Harvest Ireland

Offshore Ireland Award: Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Shipyard of the Year: Bere Island Boat Yard

Innovation in Maritime Safety Award: SafeTrx - DeCare Systems Ireland

Innovation in Marine Technology Award: SeaFi Horizon - Port of Cork Company and SEA-Tech Evolution

Commercial Dive and Marine Contractors of the Year: Inland and Coastal Marina Systems

#ArklowWindFarm- Maintenance work is underway at the Arklow Bank Offshore Windfarm that required the use a jack-up rig towed from Falmouth, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The eight-legged 'walking' jack-up rig Wavewalker 1 owned by Faro Seacore is also based in the south-west UK port from where MTS Vanquish towed the barge to Irish waters.

Wavewalker 1 is an innovative designed SEWP (self-elevating work platform) which was presented with the Product & Equipment Innovation Award at the prestigious Ground Engineering (GE) Awards ceremony held in London last month.

Assisting the maintenance project at the Arklow offshore installation operated by GE Wind Energy is Wicklow based Island Shipping which has a fleet of vessels and provides marine construction, engineering and consultancy services on a worldwide basis.

Their 21m twin screw multi-purpose workboat Husky under master Nicholas Keogh and crew Pat Byrne and Graham Fitzgerald have displayed skilful berthing procedures as the Wavewalker 1 has been based in Wicklow Port.

Husky's homeport may be Wicklow but that has not stopped her working outside domestic waters as the shallow-draft workboat has worked in the UK. This has involved a variety of marine operations among them surveying, dive support, towage and anchor handling.

In the case of Wavewalker1, the barge's first project carried out in 2013 was in far-flung Brazil, where she undertook drilling and rock blasting works in the outer channel to the port of Suape.

#Ports&Shipping – The latest Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) Weekly Market Review includes the following stories outlined below.

Irish Maritime News: Cork Maritime Development News -An Board Pleanála approved planning application for Ringaskiddy Port Redevelopment project that will see €100 million invested into the construction and redevelopment of the Port of Cork.

Global Maritime News: World's Fifth Largest Box Port Looks to Increase Sea-Rail - Traffic to 2m TEU by 2030. As reported by Lloyds List, as part of Beijing's "One Belt One Road" blueprint, the country's ports are now ramping up efforts to build up their railway traffic. And Ningbo, home to the world's fifth busiest container port in terms of 2014 throughput, has been the frontrunner.

Maritime Safety Committee set to Adapt New Gas Fuel Ship Code - IMO's Maritime Safety Committee, which meets at the Organization's London headquarters for its 95th session from 3 to 12 June 2015, is expected to adopt a new mandatory code for gas-fuelled ships.

For more of the above stories and much more click the IMDO Market Review (Week 23) here.

In addition to further dedicated coverage visit Afloat.ie's Ports & Shipping news.

#Ports&ShippingReview – Over the last fortnight, Jehan Ashmore has reported on the shipping scene.

Ardmore Shipping's fleet increased to 19 tankers with the delivery of the 49,999dwt Ardmore Sealion from an Asian shipyard.

An Bórd Pleanála has delayed making a decision on the planning application by Galway Harbour to redevolop the port with a €126m extension.

The Stena Association of Maritime Institutes (STAMI) for the first time held a meeting at the National Maritime College of Ireland in Cork where delegates from three continents gathered at the venue for a 10th bi-annual conference.

#ArdmoreNewbuild - Ardmore Sealion a 49,999dwt newbuild has been delivered to Ardmore Shipping from SPP Shipbuilding Co., Ltd at the Goseong shipyard in South Korea.

The launch of Ardmore Sealion classified as an IMO 3 product and chemical tanker took place on 26 May. She joins the Ardmore fleet, which now has nineteen vessels (see previous report on Afloat.ie). Technical management of the Ardmore Sealion will be provided by Univan Ship Management Ltd.

Commenting on her delivery, Mark Cameron, Ardmore Shipping's COO, said: "I would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Ardmore site team who have worked closely with the SPP Shipbuilding team in bringing the newbuilding process together to deliver a high quality vessel. We extend our thanks to SPP Shipbuilding for all of their hard work and commitment through the build process.

The Ardmore Sealion is another high quality eco-design Ardmore vessel and she is fully equipped with an array of fuel-saving measures, along with Skysails technology, to ensure the highest standards of performance for our customers.

This is our first newbuild vessel to be delivered from SPP Shipbuilding this year and we look forward to continuing our close working relationship with SPP Shipbuilding on the remaining three vessels in the series due for delivery throughout the year."

#Ports&Shipping – The latest Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) Weekly Market Review includes the following stories outlined below.

Irish Maritime News: LE Eithne rescues migrants off Libya coast as reported on Afloat- After Government deployment of a Naval Service vessel to undertake humanitarian search and rescue missions, it has just completed its first rescue mission.

Global Maritime News: Dry Bulk Carrier Orders Crash to A Twenty Year Low - In the last four months dry bulk orders have fallen to 0.4m dwt per month, the lowest level since the 1990s. This is a massive 98% reduction from the 23m dwt peak in orders in December 2007, and probably the sharpest decline in recent decades. Not really a surprise in a market where Capesize bulkers are struggling to earn $4,000/day, but a timely relief to investors with ships on the orderbook.

Liberian Registry strengthens position as safest major flag by investing in new technology - The Liberian Registry has developed a unique satellite-based Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) which has helped ensure regulatory compliance and prevent detentions in some of the world's most active Port State Control (PSC) areas.

For more of each of the above stories and much more click the IMDO Market Review (Week 20) here.

In addition to further dedicated coverage visit Afloat.ie's Ports & Shipping news.