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Displaying items by tag: Mainport

Cork basedMainport which acts as shipping agent for container operator, Unifeeder A/S, has announced as of the start of this month that they have increased capacity between the Irish Sea and mainland northern Europe.

This has led to the deployment of a larger (658 TEU) capacity vessel, the MV Elizabeth which Afloat observed departing Dublin Port this week when bound for Belfast Harbour.

The news according to the IMDO, comes despite all the challenges with widespread congestion in North Europe, where Unifeeder have managed to maintain a very strong schedule integrity along with very short transit times to and from the UK port of Southampton.

The UK-all Ireland port rotation is also ideal for empty positioning of containers from Dublin and Belfast to Cork. This upscaling has been very well received by customers, deep sea lines and cargo owners.

Published in Ports & Shipping

The Cork Harbour based Ocean Spey has been sold by the Mainport Group which operated the supply/standby support vessel for the past five years at PSE's Kinsale Gas Field which was decommissioned this year, writes Jehan Ashmore.

According to Mainport, the Ocean Spey departed their fleet and made a delivery to Castellan, Spain to new owner, Open Arms.

Afloat add Open Arms is a Barcelona based non-profit organization that aims to protect the lives of the most vulnerable, provide first-aid at sea and in operating refugee rescue vessels in the Mediterranean Sea.

The 66m Ocean Spey, Afloat noted on AIS made its last departure from Rushbrooke last month and arrived a week later to Burriana, located south of Castellan, where the Irish tricolor was lowered for the last time. 

The Cork registered 1,864grt ship which Mainport acquired in 2016, had serviced the two Kinsale Gas platforms, located approximately 50kms off the south coast from where gas was first extracted in the late 1970's. As Afloat reported earlier this year, the gas had depleted, leading to the decommissioning of the gas field subwells and likewise associated platforms.

The role of the Ocean Spey in the Celtic Sea followed a succession of ships that Mainport was contracted to provide the gasfield with services for more than 35 years and through various owners. A slightly smaller vessel, Pearl of 1,579grt had performed the same role until Mainport disposed of this vessel.

Ocean Spey which has anchor handling capabilities was built in 2000 and had previously worked in the North Sea based out of Aberdeen, the oil capital of Scotland. 

Published in Cork Harbour

#PORTS & SHIPPING - Cork based marine services company, Mainport is investing $36 million (€27.6 million) to build three supply vessels which will support seismic survey ships searching for oil and gas deposits.

The bulk of the financing for the construction of the newbuildings has been provided by Dutch bank ABN Amro, with a syndicate of Irish investors assembled by Westboro Finance in Cork providing $5 million in mezzanine, or short-term, financing.

The three ships, which will provide support services for an unnamed client carrying out off-shore seismic surveys around the world, are being constructed at Shin Yang Shipyards in Malaysia, and will be delivered in mid-2013.

To read more about this report in today's Irish Times click HERE

Published in Ports & Shipping

Whether you're a boat enthusiast, historian, archaeologist, fisherman, or just taken by the natural beauty of Ireland's waterways, you will find something of interest in our Inland pages on Afloat.ie.

Inland Waterways

Ireland is lucky to have a wealth of river systems and canals crossing the country that, while once vital for transporting goods, are today equally as important for angling, recreational boating and of course tourism.

From the Barrow Navigation to the Erne System, the Grand Canal, the Lower Bann, the Royal Canal, the Shannon-Erne Waterway and the Shannon Navigation, these inland waterways are popular year in, year out for anyone with an interest in rambling; flora and fauna; fishing; sailing; motorboating; canoeing, kayaking and waterskiing; and cruising on narrowboats.

Although most will surely identify Ireland's inland waterways with boating holidays and a peaceful afternoon's angling, many varieties of watersport are increasingly favoured activities. Powerboat and Jetski courses abound, as do opportunities for waterskiing or wakeboarding. For those who don't require engine power, there's canoeing and kayaking, as Ireland's waterways have much to offer both recreational paddlers and those looking for more of a challenge. And when it comes to more sedate activities, there's nothing like going for a walk along a canal or river bank following some of the long-distance Waymarked Ways or Slí na Sláinte paths that criss-cross the country.

Ireland's network of rivers, lakes and canals is maintained by Waterways Ireland, which is one of the six North/South Implementation Bodies established under the British-Irish Agreement in 1999. The body has responsibility for the management, maintenance, development and restoration of inland navigable waterways on the island of Ireland, principally for recreational purposes. It also maintains Ireland's loughs, lakes and channels which are sought after for sailing; the network of canal locks and tow paths; as well as any buoys, bridges and harbours along the routes.

Along the Grand and Royal Canals and sections of the Barrow Navigation and the Shannon-Erne Waterway, Waterways Ireland is also responsible for angling activities, and charges Inland Fisheries Ireland with carrying out fisheries development, weed management and ensuring water quality.

Brian Goggin's Inland Blog

Giving his personal perspective on Ireland's Inland Waterways from present-day activities to their rich heritage, Brian Goggin tells it like it is with his Inland Blog.

From recognising achievements in management of the waterways to his worries on the costs of getting afloat on Ireland's canals, Goggin always has something important to say.

He also maintains the website Irish Waterways History that serves as a repository for a wealth of historical accounts of the past commercial and social uses alike of Ireland's rivers and canals, which were once the lifeblood of many a rural community.