West Coast Of Ireland News

A new ice-breaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker of the Arc7 class, the Nikolay Yevgenov, is due to arrive this week in Sabetta, the Arctic Russian port of Novatek's Yamal plant, Refinitiv shipping data showed on Monday.The tanker is off the west coast of Ireland at the moment, having left the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) Okpo shipyard in South Korea at the end of April, Refinitiv Eikon shipping data showed.It is due to arrive on May 26, according to the data, five months ahead of the schedule set by its operator, Teekay LNG Partners.The Vladimir Voronin, also operated by Teekay, is set to begin sea trials imminently. The data shows it to be on the water in Okpo already.Yamal needs the ice-breaker tankers to ship LNG out of Arctic waters.

Wärtsilä has been awarded a contract to provide the propulsion machinery for a new purse seine fishing trawler ordered by Strand Senior AS, a subsidiary of Strand Havfiske AS based in Norway. The vessel will be built at the Karstensen Skibsvaerft shipyard in Denmark. The Wärtsilä order was booked in March 2017. In specifying that an innovative and highly efficient vessel was required, the owners specifically emphasized that the propulsion system should be centered on the Wärtsilä 31 engine.

Bibby Offshore, the leading subsea services provider to the oil and gas industry, has this year been awarded two contracts from Shell to provide inspection services on assets in the Corrib Natural Gas field in the North Atlantic Ocean. The first contract, completed in June this year, saw Bibby Offshore’s construction support vessel Olympic Ares - equipped with Quantum Work Class and SeaEye Cougar Inspection Class ROVs - perform subsea inspections 83km off the North West coast of Ireland, in water depths of approximately 360m. The 40 day campaign involved pipeline survey inspection work on a 83km long 20” gas pipeline, and internal wellhead and manifold fault diagnostics, structural inspection and cathodic protection measurements, to ensure optimum levels of productivity were achieved.

Even though the struggle for independence from Britain finally resulted in Ireland being declared “a sovereign, independent, democratic state” in 1937 there was little interest being shown in the maritime affairs of the country. This, despite Ireland being seen as having opportunities to derive added value from its vast marine resources. Up until a few years ago, sporadic endeavors failed to achieve optimum economic benefits. Ireland’s ambition to create a maritime cluster gathered momentum only during the last few years. It began with the introduction of the tonnage tax regime in 2003. This made Ireland an attractive destination for shipping. The immediate effect was that it reversed the trend of Irish shipping companies flagging out to foreign registries.

The drugs were seized following the search of the cargo vessel Star Stratos at Portsmouth port yesterday evening. Approximately 300 kilos were discovered concealed within a shipment of bananas which had originated in Colombia. Investigations are continuing both in the UK and Ireland in conjunction with An Garda Síochána. “Working with our law enforcement partners in the UK and Ireland we have successfully prevented a huge quantity of what is likely to be very high purity cocaine reaching our streets. “Our investigations into the organised crime groups likely to be responsible for this shipment continues. Border Force Regional Director Carole Upshall said…

Blyth Workcats of Canvey Island, U.K. has delivered a new 11-meter dive boat to the Mevagh Dive Center in County Donegal on the west coast of Ireland. The new boat has now begun work transporting groups of up to 12 divers to sites along the Atlantic coast of Ireland where numerous wrecks make it an interesting but challenging region for recreational divers. The Laura Dean is powered by two Iveco N67 420 hp engines and features a hull design developed for optimal performance while…

The Commission has awarded over €1.2 billion to 23 innovative renewable energy technology (RES) projects. The projects cover a wide range of renewable energy technologies from bioenergy (including advanced biofuels), concentrated solar power and geothermal power to wind power, ocean energy and distributed renewable management (smart grids). The projects will be hosted in 16 EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The project comprises a floating offshore 26 MW wind farm located 50 km from Marseille. Thirteen wind turbines will be installed on 13 moored floating structures which will transfer power to an onshore substation connected to the grid.

UK's Freight Transport Association (FTA) conducts survey on whether Sulphur Directive could cause modal shift from sea to road freight. The FTA is asking short sea users for feedback on how the directive could affect them. A five-minute FTA survey has been set up which will gauge the impact the directive will have across the industry. The survey is confidential and only asks for estimates based on respondents' understanding. Christopher Snelling, FTA - head of supply chain policy said: “The UK Department for Transport have said to us they need evidence about what impact cost increases or reductions in service would have on the use of short-sea shipping.

Norway's Ocean Installer company employed its CSV 'Normand Clipper' to complete deep-water contract in N. Atlantic. The contract was for part of the development of the Corrib gas field and it required the survey of a 20-inch, 83km long offshore pipeline and the relocation of about 250 boulders, clearing a 12-metre wide corridor in an umbilical lay route. The work commenced in early August and was successfully completed using the highly efficient construction support vessel (CSV) Normand Clipper. The Corrib field is located in the Atlantic on the west coast of Ireland in blocks 18/20 and 18/25.

Irish authorities resumed their search on Wednesday for seven crewmen missing from a Spanish trawler, which perished off the west coast of Ireland on Tuesday, but said hopes of finding them alive were fading. "At this stage it has to be said that our hopes are receding as time goes on," a Marine Department spokesman said. Four bodies were pulled from the water on Tuesday after the Spanish-owned, UK-registered Arosa, a 108 ft. (36-m) fishing trawler, ran aground on rocks off the County Mayo coast. Two other men were winched to safety but one later died. The spokesman said the search by boat and helicopter had resumed at first light. A low-level helicopter sweep of the area had revealed debris and lifejackets but no signs of life, he added. The missing men are Spanish and African nationals.