Belfast Harbour News

Shipping and asset finance lawyer, Harry Theochari OBE, has been appointed as the new Chair of the Belfast Maritime Consortium.Theochari holds the position of Senior Consultant at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. He is also current Chair Emeritus of Maritime UK, Chair of Maritime London, and esteemed member of the Institute of Maritime Law Advisory Board at the University of Southampton, and brings with him over thirty seven years’ experience in the maritime sector and…

Artemis Technologies released the first pictures of its 100% electric, high-speed foiling workboat prototype on Belfast Lough. The vessel was designed and built to include the production specification drivetrain, battery and flight control components consumers will eventually see in the finished workboat.The 11.5-m vessel named “Pioneer of Belfast” is powered by the Artemis eFoiler system, designed to enable the prototype to fly over the water, using "significantly less energy than a conventional workboat" according to the developer, with high-speed re-charging technology also developed.

The next generation of ferry travel went into service Monday as Stena Line reaffirmed its commitment to freight and travel operations on the Irish Sea.Stena Edda, the biggest ferry ever to sail on the Belfast to Liverpool route, embarked on its maiden voyage on Monday evening as it left Merseyside.With 40% more deck capacity, 40% more cabins and 30% more fuel efficiency than current vessels on the route, Edda accommodates up to 1,000 passengers, 120 cars in its dedicated garage deck and 3…

Artemis Technologies has announced a joint venture with Denmark’s Tuco Marine Group to produce the world’s first zero emissions workboat.Artemis Technologies will collaborate with Tuco Marine Group to integrate its new electric eFoiler propulsion system into an 11m carbon fiber vessel.This will serve as a demonstrator vessel as proof of concept for the innovative technology that will be marketed to the marine trade by Artemis Technologies and Tuco Marine Group, which supplies the ProZero high performance Workboat range.  The hydrofoils and propulsion system for the proof of concept vessel will be manufactured and assembled in Belfast Harbour, following a multi million pound investment in the project.

Belfast Harbour, the maritime hub in Northern Ireland, said that it has opened the first dedicated cruise terminal on the island of Ireland to cater for Belfast’s growing popularity as a cruise destination.Christened as Cruise Belfast, it is a partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast.Belfast Harbour has invested more than GBP500,000 on upgrading the quayside facility which now includes a Visitor Information Centre, part funded by Tourism NI and managed by Visit Belfast. This investment represents an important step in the development of the city’s cruise tourism infrastructure.The new terminal is staffed by Visit Belfast’s…

The major maritime hub in Northern Ireland Belfast Harbour handled a record 24.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2018, up 3.8% on the previous year thanks to a major increase in the number of freight vehicles passing through the port, which rose to a high of 532,000, latest figures show."Growth was led by a strong increase in freight vehicle carryings on Stena Line’s services to Great Britain, rising by 3% to a record 532,000 freight vehicles and for the second consecutive year more than 1.5m passengers passed through the Port," said a statement.Stena Line’s trading performance in 2018 was enhanced as a consequence of its introduction of…

Humber tugboat operator SMS Towage has drawn on an old name for the latest addition to its fleet. The new Englishman is the 11th Humber tug to bear the title, in a tradition stretching back to the 19th century. Built at the Sanmar yard on the edge of Istanbul to a Canadian design, she produces 3,500bhp and can bring in 270m long ships of more than 170,000 metric tons dead weight. The 25m £3.5m vessel is capable of 13 knots and is among the most maneuverable on the estuary. She is one of 13 owned by Hull-based SMS Towage…

Saab has commissioned its first Port Management Information System in the UK. As of September 1st, 2015, Belfast Harbour Commission commenced live operations with its KleinPort system. The Harbour is using KleinPort to manage and track its vessel operations and services, record cargo data, generate billing and execute data analysis and reporting. Commissioners selected Saab as the system supplier after an extensive public tendering process for a new port management system. “Belfast Harbour had identified a need for a new port management information system and had a clear vision of what this should do to best support the needs of the Port and its customers.

Ship refurbishment specialists Blu Marine complete the £500,000 contract, and P&O has begun operating the ship on its Troon to Larne service. Blu Marine carried out the work in Belfast Harbour, which mainly involved fitting the P&O Express with a new Club Lounge designed to meet the needs of business travellers. The 90-capacity lounge will offer complimentary news-papers, magazines, drinks and snacks, with facilities in place to allow passengers to use laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

The 'TrainForTrade' Port Training Programme focussing on ‘Modern Port Management’ runs for two weeks in the port. The programme, which sees 28 delegates attending from countries across the globe including Ghana, Indonesia, Maldives, Namibia, South Africa, Pakistan and Tanzania, has been organised by UNCTAD in cooperation with Port of Cork (PoC), Dublin Port Company (DPC), Belfast Harbour Commissioners (BHC), and with the support of Irish Aid. The TrainForTrade programme was set-up to facilitate sustainable economic development in developing and transition countries through training and capacity development and is run by UNCTAD, whose mandate is to work for development-led globalisation, where the development paths are sustainable and inclusive.

Fendercare Marine provide first ship to ship transfer operation off Ireland. Norfolk based Fendercare Marine completed the first ship to ship (STS) transfer off the coast of Belfast last week. The operation was unusually requested by the owners of Genmar Companion following a discovery of a crack in the deck of the vessel en route from Rotterdam to New York. The Genmar Companion had sheltered off Copeland Islands since 16 December having been refused entry into Cork to conduct the repairs necessary to the deck.