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Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

The formation of trailers and tugs into the words “Stay Home” at Rosslare. See video below
TUG drivers and hauliers using Rosslare Europort have created a “stay home” message which has been captured by drone photography. The formation of trailers and tugs into the words “Stay Home” is intended to appeal to non-essential travellers during the…
File photo: Derek Mackay the (former) Finance Secretary of Scotland AFLOAT adds pictured at the shipyard of Ferguson Marine with one of the newbuild ferry pair under construction for CalMac in Port Glasgow on the Clyde.
Shipyard Ferguson Marine which is owned by the Scottish Government, has ploughed nearly £3m into two companies without going to competitive tender to help resolve the fiasco over the delivery of two new (island) lifeline ferries, the Herald on Sunday…
Ships supporting international trade at the Port of Waterford through the Covid-19 crisis. Above AFLOAT adds among the trio of ships seen is the JSP Rider berthed at Belview Container Terminal, the main facility of the south-eastern port.
At the Port of Waterford work is continuing to operate through the Covid-19 global pandemic as an essential link for businesses trading globally from the southeast region and beyond. Export and import traffic continues through the Port and there was…
The Harland & Wolff crane
In Belfast’s world-famous Harland and Wolff shipyard where the Titanic was built, the horn which hasn’t been sounded for more than twenty years, reverberated loud and clear across the city on Thursday night at 8 pm in appreciation of NHS…
Paschal Sheehy of RTE said: So, have you been panic buying during Covid19? At the Port of Cork, Harbour Master Paul O’Regan says cargo business is actually up, supply chains are moving, the country’s ports are open and everyone is working hard to maintain the supply of goods.
Operators of Dublin and Cork ports have said imports of food and other essential items have increased since the Covid-19 outbreak here over a month ago. According to RTE News, the ports said contingencies are in place to ensure ports…
Óglaigh na hÉireann personnel collecting medical supplies for delivery to Irish Hospitals, supporting the HSE in the fight against COVID-19. AFLOAT adds the Irish Army truck is seen with a shipping container trailer at a port's lo-lo container terminal.
The Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport (DTTAS) has issued transport related measures (incl. Maritime) currently in place in response to Covid-19 which are set out below. DTTAS added given that this is a rapidly evolving situation this page (click…
The UK's Royal Fleet Auxiliary replenishment supplies and fuel tanker RFA Fort Victoria following a 30 year Special Survey dry-docking at Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead on Merseyside. AFLOAT also adds pictured in the facilities non-tidal wet basin is the newbuild scientific research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough.
One of the largest vessels operated by the UK Ministry of Defence, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's RFA Fort Victoria has returned to sea following a dry-docking period at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. According to the shipyard on Merseyside the vessel had…
The disused Barrow Railway Bridge over the River Barrow between County Kilkenny and County Wexford. The longest railway bridge in Ireland. AFLOAT adds above the swing-bridge section is open to permit access for shipping traffic (as above photo taken in 1997) depicts a tanker heading upriver to the inland Port of New Ross.
A historic railway bridge in south west Wexford, reports New Ross Standard, has raised concern in that the structure which has been out of use for a decade is being left to rot and could eventually fall into the river.…
The famine replica tallship Dunbrody at the
At the top of the agenda at New Ross Chamber is to attract a major company, writes Independent.ie The executive group met in New Ross on Tuesday and during a lengthy meeting four priorities were outlined. Chamber President Sean Reidy…
The discovery of migrants was made on Wednesday evening at Belview Port (above) near Waterford city.
A total of eight migrants discovered “hiding” on board a cargo ship at a port near Waterford city on Wednesday are likely to be sent back to France in the coming days. The discovery, reports The Irish Times, was made…
A workshop event in preparation for Brexit was hosted by the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) with the support of the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO). The aim of the workshop was to allow shipping and port companies,…
The new €3.5m crane (on left) boosts capacity at Belview which Afloat adds is the main terminal at the Port of Waterford. The heavy load-carrier vessel, Enough Talk delivered the new port infrastructure in what was a part-cargo, as Afloat also identified a second crane on board which was bound for another port services company located in Dublin Port.
Cargo handling capacity has been boosted by a Waterford based shipping agency by investing in a new mobile harbour crane with an innovative design that reduces its carbon footprint. South East Port Services provide stevedoring, warehousing and ships agency services…
Containership above AFLOAT adds is the BG Diamond which operates a UK-Ireland-mainland continental liner service through Belgium and The Netherlands. The Chinese built 'Ireland-Max' class lo-lo vessel is pictured berthed at the Tivoli Container Terminal located in Cork Harbour.
Goods in terms of volumes going through Ireland's ports between April and June this year fell in comparison with the same period last year, according to the Central Statistics Office. The seven main Irish ports - Dublin, Cork, Rosslare, Drogheda,…
At one of the country's key transport hubs, the managers of Rosslare Europort have insisted that they are ready for Brexit - whenever and however it happens. Work is almost complete according to RTE News, on a new border inspection…
In Waterford, the Green Party has welcomed moves to open a new shipping route linking Rosslare Europort to Le Havre in France. An Irish delegation according to WaterfordLive, met with representatives of the French government and officials from the port…
The HSA said there were five recorded workplace deaths at ports and docks countrywide since January 2018. Three of these were at Dublin Port (above), one was at Rosslare Ferryport and one at Waterford.
There has been a “blitz”of safety inspections launched at docks around Irish ports in response to concerns about five workplace deaths since the start of last year. As The Irish Times reports, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) started the…

As an island economy, a healthy maritime sector is key to our national competitiveness. Virtually all our imports and exports pass through Irish ports.

Ireland is dependent on ports and shipping services to transport goods and 90% of our trade is moved though Irish ports. Shipping and maritime transport services make a significant contribution to Ireland’s ocean economy, with the sector generating €2.3 billion in turnover and employing over 5,000 people in 2018.

Ireland’s maritime industry continues to grow and progress each year with Irish ports and shipping companies making significant investments. The ports sector in Ireland is currently undergoing a number of expansions and developments with Dublin Port’s Alexandra Basin development, the development of Ringaskiddy in Cork by Port of Cork and the development of Shannon Foynes Port. Along with these major investments, shipping companies are also investing heavily in new tonnage, with Irish Ferries, CLdN and Stena leading new build programmes.

These pages cover the following sectoral areas: shipowners, harbour authorities, shipbrokers, freight forwarders and contractors, cruise liner operators, port users, seamen, merchants, academic institutions, shipyards and repair facilities, naval architects, navy and defence personnel.

Our pages are covering some of the most notable arrivals around our coast and reporting too on port development and shipping news.

This section of the site deals with Port and Shipping News on our largest ports Dublin Port, Port of Cork, the Shannon Estuary, Galway Harbour and Belfast Lough.

A recent study carried out for the Irish Ports Association (IPA) totalled 75.7 billion during 2004 and their net economic impact was some 5.5 billion supporting around 57, 500 full time employees.

Liam Lacey, Director of the Marine Institute’s Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) said, “The Irish maritime industry can look to the future with confidence. It has shown itself to be resilient and agile in responding to challenges. Over the past decade, it has had to respond to the challenges of the financial crisis of 2008, the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and recent challenges. Ireland’s maritime sector has continued to underpin our economy by maintaining vital shipping links for both trade and tourism.”